Just Friends
by RoyalKnightJester
Summary: "I wish he didn't break my heart," she slurred drunkenly, leaning into me, "Cause then...I wouldn't be so afraid of falling in love with you." Ryan's new to Waffle Island and all he wants is Kathy to like him. But thing are never that easy, now are they?
1. Chapter One (Redo)

**Howdy there friends. So...Funny story. As I went back and read the first two chapters I had already put on for **_Just Friends,_ **I realized how rushed I made them and how poorly I felt they were written. I decided to rewrite them, and so here it is! I just put them together into one longer chapter, opposed to two short ones. **

**Well go on, reread it for me! :D**

* * *

><p>There comes a point in most peoples' lives when they have to grow up and start making decisions for themselves. They can't always lean back on their family and fold over in defeat when their parents say no. People have to own up, puff their chests out, and lay all their cards out on the table just to see what is going to happen next. And that is why I am where I am now: on a boat, leaving my life in the city far behind me. After 21 years of being a city slicker, I decided I needed a change of pace of the same old 9-5 office gig I had going on. So somehow I found an ad for Waffle Island, a small little island - shocker- in the middle of nowhere in the ocean.<p>

Seriously. I mean it's in the middle of nowhere. I've been on this boat for the past three days, and I haven't seen any land since day one.

The ad was clear and to the point; Waffle Island needed a rancher. And the best part? No experience was needed. Just my luck, right? The brochure was colorful and bright, showing off all the "pretty" nature spots the island had to offer. My mom and dad scoffed when I originally told them I planned to quit my well-paying and cushy job. They did more than scoff - a full blown laugh - when I explained how I was moving around the world to become a rancher on some unknown island. It took awhile, but I eventually got them to understand and accept the fact. They just wanted me to be happy in the end, and they could see that what was going on in my life at the time wasn't doing the trick anymore.

My friends, however, were a different case entirely. They still don't get why I'm doing this. The kids I had known since birth had no idea what was so appealing to me about the idea. Who in their right mind would do such a random and crazy thing? They asked. I didn't have a good answer to give them, but all I knew that this was what I had to do. It was a gut instinct. After cracking countless jokes about the name Waffle Island, they moved onto another topic with another beer in hand.

"Hey Ryan. How are you holding up, my boy?" A deep voice smothered in a thick English accent asked. I looked over my shoulder and found Pascal, the boat's captain, making his way over to the railing with me. The three day boat ride took it's toll on me the first night, and Pascal has had the pity look in his eyes ever since.

I shrugged and gave him a smile, "A lot better than before, that's for sure. I think the only thing that's upsetting my stomach now is nerves."

He nodded understandingly and leaned against the railing. I did the same, and my eyes found a green speck in the distance surrounded by the blue waves. That must be it! Finally! After another moment, Pascal spoke again, "I'm sure you'll find everything you need on the island. Many people have in the past, and I'm sure many people will continue to do so in the future. It isn't everyday that a young man drops everything he's known to become a rancher of all things."

"I know. All my friends think I went insane."

He laughed merrily and shook his head, "Oh no. Not insane. Just a little bonkers. Don't you fret though, no one here will hold that against you!" I smiled in answer and he straighten himself, "Well we should be arriving in a matter of minutes. You can probably see the island now if your eyes aren't terrible! I'm going to go help dock, and you should go grab your bags."

He turned around and walked away, and I suddenly realized I was grabbing the cool metal rail a lot harder than I thought. I shook my hand, trying to get the circulation back, as I viewed the ever growing island in front of me. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. There was a lot of open green space covered in trees behind a small town. The town had a good handful of colorful houses, that were tucked away behind sandy white beaches. I could definitely get used to a place like this.

We eventually pulled up to shore and Pascal and two other guys started to tie the boat to the dock. I made my way back into my little room to collect not only my bags, but also my thoughts. This was it. After I stepped off this boat, there was no going back. _Let's go Ryan_, I thought to myself, _it's time to roll. _After a quick pep talked, that mostly consisted of how awesome I was, I headed out towards the front of the boat.

Pascal gave me a huge smile, "Well, we arrived! And you made it in one piece!"

I left my bags by my feet and shook his hand, "After that first night, I wasn't so sure I could go on for another two days. You got me through it though, so I have to thank you. For everything."

"Aww, don't think twice about it. You go on out there and win this island over! I'm sure we'll see each other around. Good luck, my boy!"

I nodded, "Thanks, see you," and walked unsteady onto solid ground. No one was really around, so I dropped my bags and leaned against a building's wall. I pulled a letter from my pocket and scanned the bottom instructions over again:

_Your boat should arrive at the island around 1:30 on Thursday afternoon. I will meet you at the docks and give you a tour of the town along with showing you to your new house. Until then, bon voyage! _

_-Mayor Hamilton _

I checked my watch. Yep, 1:45. It was just my luck: the boat got here late, and my guide had gotten impatient and ditched me. Awesome. I groaned, this would happen to me. I started to reach for my bags to go wander around when a voice called out, "Hello there! Excuse me! Hello!"

I looked around to find a short, and rather pudgy, man scurrying towards me. He was decked on in a matching blue suit, and his gray hair was flying in all directions. When he finally reached me, he took my hand, and began to shake it energetically, "Hello! Hello! You must be Ryan Scott! Oh, it is such a pleasure to meet you!"

I smiled, "Yes sir, that's me. Nice to meet you too. You're the mayor, I assume?" I asked, praying that I was right and wouldn't embarrass myself.

"Yes. Yes I am. But please, just call me Hamilton. I hope the boat ride wasn't too terrible?" He asked, straightening his jacket.

With a shake of my head, I replied, "Not at all. It was great considering I've never really been on a boat for that long before!" I decided to leave out the first night. It probably wouldn't make for a very good first impression. Just a guess.

"Oh good! Well it is very nice to finally meet you. If you're ready, I can show you to your new house. I'm sure you are very tired."

I shrugged. I wasn't tired, but all I wanted to do was lay down and relax. Well relax on a non-moving boat, that is. I followed Hamilton as he started walking down a brick path through the town. As we walked, he started pointing out random buildings: Clinic, General Store, the local inn, etc. I tried to commit them to memory, but I knew the would long be forgotten within the next hour. We passed only a few people along the way, but apart from a curious glance and a friendly smile, nothing was said. The mayor insisted that there would be plenty of time to meet everyone later.

"Here we are; this is it!" Hamilton suddenly said, stopping in his tracks. With his arms held up wide, he presented my new house to me. It was small, but then again I wasn't expecting much. It seemed to be about the same size as my old apartment from the outside. Besides, I didn't need all that much room for just myself and my two boxes of things I brought. I looked to the left of the house and found a small little field filled with various weeds, twigs, and branches. I didn't pay much attention to it because I figured I would explore the field more when I was about to start tending to the crops and everything.

The most exciting thing though was that I got my own mailbox. How cool was that? Back in the city, I had to share a mailbox with everyone in my building basically. Talk about an awkward Valentine's Day…

I guess I had an awed look on my face that tipped the mayor off, "Well I'll let you go inside and settle in. All the basics are in there: fridge, stove, oven, bed, everything you'll need to get started," He explained. I nodded and shook his hand again.

"Thanks a lot. I can't explain how excited I am right now!"

He chuckled, "Well we are very pleased to have you. Everyone is anxious to meet you, so perhaps after you get yourself set, you can head over to the town and meet the townsfolk? If you have any questions, you can find me at the Town Hall most of the time."

We said good-bye after I thanked Hamilton again, and I headed inside my new house. It was small, but big enough to be comfortable and not cramped. It had everything the mayor said it would, along with a big box with the word "TOOLS" painted on the lid. I opened it to find a hoe, sickle, watering can, hammer, and an axe. They were nothing fancy, just your basic tools. They were all I really needed anyways. I think. I don't know. I wasn't too sure how this whole farming thing went exactly.

I checked my watch and realized it had already been an hour since I got onto the island. I let that sink in for a moment - an hour into my new life - before deciding I should start to unpack my things.

It was rather depressing to realize 21 years of life could fit into two regular size boxes. On top of that, one box was filled with clothes. After putting all of my clothes into the dresser (mostly jeans, t-shirts, and a a couple hoodies), I set to making the bare house feel a little bit more like home. I nailed the Pokemon clock that my mom had gotten me for my 5th birthday up on the wall, praying I would remember to take that down before I had any girl over. A calendar went beside that. I tore the sheets that the bed had already and tossed them into a corner. They would probably have to be washed - Who knew who used them before?

After an hour of "interior decorating", I was pleased with how the house turned out. I sat down on the bed, pulled out my laptop, and wrote a quick email to my parents. I explained how I arrived, was safe, and moved in already. It was short, but I figured I could send a better one later in the week. This one was just to reassure them that I wasn't dead. I googled a few pointless things on the internet while trying to decide what my next move should be.

Hamilton's words rung in my head, _"Meet the townsfolk!"_ Eh, why not? I would need to meet everyone at one point or another. Might as well get everything done in one day! I did a quick one-over in the mirror, decided I looked presentable enough, and made my way back into town. At least, I think I was headed in the direction of the town. I wasn't too sure. The island was pretty big after all.

Eventually, I found the Town Hall of Waffle Island. I walked in and was immediately greeted by a cute looking girl with short brown hair, "Oh! You must be Ryan!" She had a soft voice and a bright smile. She was probably a few years older than me though.

"Yep. That's me!" I said, walking further into the building. She was sitting behind the counter so I reached out to shake her hand.

She smiled again, "Hi, I'm Elli. I work for the mayor. It's nice to-"

"ELLI!" A sharp voice interrupted her sentence, "Who are you talking to? You are supposed to be working!" A guy, probably around my age, walked down the stairs. He had long blonde hair and a sharp nose. He was dressed in a sweater vest and a pair of plaid shorts. Either this kid was the Know-It-All type, or he just had no sense in style. Judging by his high and somewhat nasally voice, I was going to guess the first one.

Elli just rolled her eyes and teased, "I am working, you moron. I'm introducing myself to the new islander, which if you look, is part of my job description! Gil, this is Ryan. Ryan, this is Gil!"

The boy, Gil, looked over at me. He gave me an up and down and then flipped the hair out of his eyes. He didn't seem all that impressed. He nodded, "Yeah, well I'm Gil. The mayor is my father."

The resemble wasn't very clear, but I wasn't going to question or mention it. I stuck my hand out, but Gil just eyed it wearily before turning on his heels and heading back up the stairs. I glanced at Elli hopelessly, but she just shrugged in return.

"He isn't a very pleasant fellow most of the time. Don't pay any mind to him. Everyone else on this island is so sweet, so don't let Gil ruin your first impression on us!"

I gave her a smile, "Of course not. I'll see you around, Elli. I'm off to meet everyone else! See you."

And boy, did I meet everyone else. My mind was spinning trying to keep names with faces and faces with stores. Simon and his wife Barbara owned the General Store. Jin and Irene ran the local Clinic. Jake and Colleen run the Inn. The Inn's food is cooked by Yolanda (who has pink hair, should I be concerned?) and served by Chase and Maya. Craig and Ruth are fellow farmers, along with their daughter, Anissa. And finally, the tailor shop belonged to Shelly and her two granddaughters, Luna and Candace.

There were still a few buildings to check and a lot more people to meet, but it was getting late and my eyelids were starting to get heavy. I was pleased with my progress so far though. Everyone I met seemed really kind and helpful, so I figured this couldn't be a terrible place to live. Hell, there were even some cute girls here. Bonus!

"Yo!"

I jumped at the sudden voice. I turned around to see a young guy with blue hair leaning against a tree. As he waved me over with a gloved hand, I realized what his other hand was holding. An axe. Um, call me crazy, but I think talking to strange blue haired guys who carry axes around at night usually is frowned upon. But…This was a new place to me, and I wasn't exactly sure how it operated, so maybe this was normal! So after a second debate of "He is so going to kill you," and, "No. He's not!", I took a deep breath and headed towards him.

"Who are you?" He asked when I reached him. He stayed relaxed against the tree, but his golden cat-like eyes were curiously looking me over. He really did have blue hair. Why do people on this island have such weirdly colored hair?!

I sighed, this was about the millionth time I had to explain this today. I rushed out that I was the new farmer, my name was Ryan, and how I just moved here. His eyes trailed off after about five seconds into my speech, but when I said farmer, they snapped right back.

"Ahh. So you're replacing Kevin? Finally. Only took this island about six months to move on," He said. I asked him what he meant by that, but he just shrugged, "Not important. The name's Luke. I work at the Carpenter's with my dad and little bro."

That explained the axe. I think.

I tried to shake his hand, but he misread the signal and gave me a high five instead. He didn't even think twice about it. We talked for a few more minutes about pointless things before Luke asked, "Hey. I was just about to head off to the bar. You wanna come with? We could chill for awhile longer!"

I was just about to say yes when I remembered how long my day had been. It was only around 9 at night, but it felt much later. I replied, "Actually, I was going to head home and get some sleep." Luke looked genuinely disappointed to hear that, so I offered we could go tomorrow night. We said good-bye and headed in the opposite directions. I found my house a lot easier than I thought, and the second I laid down on the bed, I was out like a light.

* * *

><p>Waking up the next morning was a pain. I tried setting my alarm for six o'clock - you know, farmer hours - but ended up not rolling out of bed until a little after 7. Even that is early for me. After reading a quick how-to book I found in the tool box, I was out in the field. I slammed the hoe into the soil and sighed in frustration. This was taking forever to start planting. It took me over an hour and a half just to clear the field of weeds and various rockbranches. And this whole "hoeing" (Is that the proper conjugation? Eh, who cares.) thing was not going to make the list of my favorite activities.

Thankfully, and I mean that, it was still early into spring, so the weather was cooperating well. The air was still pretty cool and the sun wasn't beating down on me quite just yet. I didn't want to think about how difficult it was going to be doing all this work in the summer. I pushed that thought out of my head and got back to work. After another hour all the seeds were planted and I was just finishing watering them all. I was sitting with my back against a tree near the field, taking a break, and a voice called out.

"You look like you're working hard!"

I looked over to see Renee, the daughter from Brownie Ranch, walking over off the trail. I waved and then pointed to my newly finished fields, "Hey now. Look at all that work I got done!" It was then when I realized how sweaty and probably gross looking I was. Perfect conditions for talking to a girl. A cute girl. I decided Renee was cute as she got closer. Her short brown hair framed her face, and her light brown eyes had a teasing look about them.

She just laughed, "Okay, I guess you're right. The field is looking awesome, by the way. I bet you're worn out, huh?"

I shrugged, "It hasn't hit me yet. I'm sure if you check back in in about an hour or so, I'll be dead though!"

She began to walk around the tree and I ended up looking up at her. She glanced down, "Well you might want to try and stay alive for a bit longer because I came here for a reason!" She pointed towards the large wooden building that hide behind my house. She said, "That's a barn, in case you didn't assume that already. Here, follow me."

I got up, with a little reluctance, and trailed behind her to the barn. She showed me the inside, which was mostly empty apart from left over hay and the feeding bins. She also showed me the door that lead into the chicken coop.

"My parents are willing to give you a baby calf and chicken for free if you promise to work hard and take good care of them…" Renee said suddenly. I looked at her in surprise, not sure how to reply. She grinned, "It's a welcome to the island gift. If you don't want it though…"

I interrupted her, "Oh no no no. That'd the perfect actually, but I don't want to impose or anything. I don't want the island to think I mooch off people!"

"It's fine. We did it for the last guy here too. We're more than happy to help," She smiled and began towards the door, "Come with me. We'll go back to Brownie and get you set up!"

* * *

><p>After I got back to my farm, I was the new and proud owner of a baby calf and a baby chick. The hardest part was naming them. Renee helped out and the cow was now known as Queen and the chick was Rori. Not bad, I decide. Renee's dad taught me how to care for each animal, and her mother supplied with me a brush and a milker. I literally couldn't get over how nice these people were, and I found myself saying thank you over a thousand times.<p>

Renee and I were just closing the barn doors to go back outside when Luke came strolling over, "Hey! What's up, Renee?!" He asked loudly.

"Oh, nothing much. How are you?"

Luke grinned widely, "I'm stellar. I was just going to see if Ryan was free to kick it. That's why I'm here!"

I nodded, "Sure. I just finished work for today, I think." I gave Renee a curious look, asking if there was anything else she needed to tell me, and she shook her head. "In that case, I'm good to go. I might need to shower though…"

"I should be going. I kind of skipped all my chores today to come here…" Renee mumbled, sighing as well. I thanked her again for all of her help and gave her a big hug. Next thing I know, she had a big blush on her face and she stampeded out a good-bye to Luke and I before leaving. Huh. A blush. That's usually a good sign, right?

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Luke bombarded me with questions.

"Is something going on?"

"Do you like her?"

"Does she like you?"

"Bro, are you going to ask her out?"

"When are you going to ask her out?"

"Want help asking her out?"

"Bro. She wants the D."

A little overwhelmed, I just told him that nothing was going on. It was the first time we actually talked. Which was true. He accepted that answer and changed the subject.

"Are you down to hang at the bar tonight? I might need a wingman. I could totally be yours too!"

I thought about it for a second before I agreed. Luke seemed like a cool guy, and I could use a couple of friends on the island. I nodded, "Yeah, that works. What time?"

He paused, check his watch, and said, "Eh…It's like 5 o'clock now, so how about 9? You could shower and take a nap - cause bro, you look dead - and we can meet up at the Inn then? Bueno?"

We agreed on a time and Luke left with a wave. I went back into my house and realized how hungry I was. The fridge though, when I check, was of course, empty. Figuring it would kill some time, I headed out the door in search of the General Store. I tried to recall it's location from memory, but it was no use. After twenty minutes, I faced the fact: I was lost. Everything in this town was in walking distance, so why was it so hard to find the main town?!

I was relieved when I crossed paths with Hamilton. I waved him over, and he greeted me, "Why hello! How was your first day?"

"Great. It was busy though, but I supposed I should get used to that." He nodded, and I continued, "I was actually looking for the General Store? My fridge is empty."

He nodded excitedly. Apparently, he didn't get asked for much help or something because he was very happy to help out. Hamilton basically grabbed my hands and ran the entire way to the store. He pushed me through then door and announced, "Ryan needs food!"

I was met with two very strange looks for the store-owners, Barbara and Simon. I laughed nervously and said, "Uh yeah. I should have stopped in last night, but it slipped my mind. Hamilton was nice enough to show me the way cause I got lost.."

They nodded in understanding. Barbara stepped forward, asked what food I need, and ran off to collect it after I gave her the list I wrote. I handed her the money, thanked both of them, and exited through the front door. Hamilton left right after he shoved me through the door, so I had to find my own way back home. Thankfully, I did without too much trouble. When I got back home, I put the groceries away and tried to think of what to have to eat. I decided on Mac N Cheese and a Coca-Cola. It doesn't sound like much, but it was probably my favorite thing to eat ever.

I adjusted the small TV in the house so I could see it from my bed; I should probably invest in some chairs or a couch before too long. I sat on the bed and flipped the TV on. Just like I thought, there were only a handful of channels the island offered. I settled on the local news and was met by Elli's face in front of a weather map. She was smiling and spoke with pep in her voice, "If you're just joining us, I was explaining how there's a 80% chance of rain tomorrow morning, and how it should stop by midday."

Pro Farmer Time: This meant I wouldn't have to water the seeds I had just planted today the next morning. Score.

The camera on the TV suddenly switched and Gill's face appeared where Elli's once was. He drawled in a share voice, "Thank you, Elli. A big welcome to Ryan, the newest member of our island's family. I'm sure everyone will be very kind and open to him as he begins to settle in." There was some definite ice in his voice; it was easy to tell. I wasn't sure why this kid seemed to dislike me so much after only speaking a few words. I literally think I only spoke about five words to him. I don't think anything I said could have offended him so much. I didn't do anything!

After a few more minutes of TV, I glanced at the clock. I debated for half a second on whether or not I had enough time to take a nap before meeting up with Luke. Who was I kidding though? There was always enough time for a nap! I shut the TV off and crawled under the covers on my bed. I had barely laid my head on the pillow before I was out like a light.

* * *

><p>Still slightly groggy, I walked up to Luke. He was bouncing on his feet, hands stuffed deep into his pockets, "Yo, what's up bro?"<p>

I shrugged, "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. I'm stoked for tonight. Well - actually - before we go in, I need a favor. Usually I would have my little bro - Bo - do this, but he gets real nervous around girls… Wanna be my wing-man for the night?" He explained, rolling his eyes with the mention of his little brother.

I laughed and shrugged, "Sure. Not a problem. Any certain girls you're trying to impress?" Luke's face turned bright red, and I knew I had guessed right. "Aww, who is it?" I asked.

His blush deepened, and he muttered something under his breath that I didn't catch. It was sort of funny seeing him get so nervous on the topic of girls. I asked him to speak up and he said, "Candace…"

Well, that was surprising. That pair seemed like total polar opposites. Candace was so quiet that I had to work hard to get her to speak a whole five words when I first met her. Luke, on the other hand, was like a five year old kid with ADHD who had an energy drink. Make that TWO energy drinks.

"It's sorta a new thing. I just started to like her a few weeks ago. I never really noticed her; She's kinda a wallflower, 'ya know?" He explained so fast that I had a hard time keeping up. He continued, "But then one day I tore my bandana and had to take it to the tailor. Candace fixed it up so good that you can barely even notice! I was super impressed. Then she just smiled at me, and it was like - BAM! I was a goner."

I patted the kid on the back and nodded, "I feel you. I totally understand. I'd be happy to be your wingman."

Luke pumped a fist in the air, "Sweet!" He rubbed his hands together as if he was about to do some tough physical labor, "Let's go!"

I had been in the bar once already when I introduced myself to the owners of the Sundae Inn, where the bar was located. A few people were scattered among the tables that were in between the Inn's desk and the bar's counter. I recognized a few people: Maya and Chase, the two cooks/waiters, were sitting across each other. The Inn's owners, Jake and Colleen, were talking, and even Mayor Hamilton was enjoying a drink. Luke walked up to the counter and shouted, "Hayden! My man! What's up?"

The bartender, Hayden, lifted his head in acknowledgement to Luke's greeting. This man was huge, and looked like he could crush me in a second. It didn't look like he ever skipped a day at the gym when he was younger, or maybe even still now. He looked like the kind of guy who would eat you alive if you ever dated his daughter.

Luke, though, was not fazed at all, "Hook us up with two blueberry cocktails, would ya?"

Hayden nodded, but then he shifted his gaze over to me, "Who are you?" he asked gruffly.

I hesitated for a minute, but soon held my hand out and said, "I'm Ryan. I just moved here." When his hand reached over, I immediately flinched, expecting his handshake to put mine out of commission for awhile. Surprisingly though, he just shook it friendly-like and gave me a warm smile.

"Welcome then. Nice to meet you," He said. He went to go make the drinks and said, "Jake mentioned you before. He said you're the new rancher?"

"Yes sir."

He laughed, but it sounded more like a bark in a way, "Then you've got your work cut out for you. Don't worry about the bill tonight, it's on the house. Consider it a welcoming gift."

Luke pumped his fist into the air again, "Hell yeah! Thanks, Hayd!" Luke lead me over to the tables, where we started to hash out a battle plan to help him win Candace over. I was okay with girls: Not a loser, but also not a player. I gave him some simple advice to start off with:

1. He would have to get past her shyness. He can't get anywhere with her in a relationship sense if she's too busy hiding behind her hair. He'd also have to accept the fact that she IS shy and learn how to work around it.

2. He would have to get her to open up and let him in, so he can learn more about her and the things she likes. Find out what to talk about.

3. In order to get number 2 to work well, she would have to trust him. He had to show her that he is a really nice guy who generally just cares about her a lot.

Luke was listening so intently to the advice I was giving him that I was somewhat expecting him to whip out a notebook and start taking notes.

"Here's where you can start…Figure out what kind of flowers she really likes," I offered, bringing the drink Luke ordered me to my lips. It was a little fruity and really girly, but overall not that bad. Not bad at all actually.

"Why?"

"So you can give her the flowers. Girls love it when guys do that, especially randomly without a real reason. It's thoughtful!"

Luke thought about this, "Well how do you figure out what kind of flowers she likes?"

A voice suddenly spoke from behind me, "Flowers who likes? Aw! Are you trying to woo me, Lucas?" I turned around to see who was talking, but as soon as I did so, my mouth went dry. This girl was gorgeous. I mean, there's not even a good enough word to explain it. Long blonde hair was thrown into a ponytail, and her bangs were brushed aside to reveal big green eyes. My heart rate had to have doubled when I first saw her.

It probably didn't help that she was in a mini-skirt either…

Luke broke out into a grin and replied sarcastically, "Oh yeah. You know it! You're the only one for me, boo!" I didn't understand how Luke could be so unaffected by her presence. I didn't understand how he wasn't getting all nervous like I was!

She smiled and I swore her attractiveness went up another 10 levels, something I didn't think was possible. She rested the tray of drinks that she was carrying on her hips, "Well, let's see. You can start the process of wooing me by, first, bringing me flowers everyday. That's a good start!"

I just sat there for awhile as the two of them continued to joke around and laugh. I remained quiet, trying to find my voice and the words to say to introduce myself. Or words at all. Just say something, Ryan! Anything!

"Oh! My bad! I totally forgot to introduce myself," she said, moving her eyes onto me.

I stuttered, caught of guard by the attention, "Oh. Uh…My name is R-Ryan," I managed to get out. I could feel my face heating up after I tripped over my words, and I prayed she didn't notice.

"Well, Ryan, it's nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but this tray is starting to get a little heavy," She explained, shifting said tray over to her other side. She smiled, "Besides, I think Hamilton is about to call my over for another drink in…3…2…"

"Kathy! Kathy, I need you!" Hamilton yelled from across the room. Kathy just rolled her eyes playfully and laughed.

"I'll stop by in a little bit on my break, okay? Holler if you need anything!" She walked away and it was hard to tear my eyes away from her retreating figure.

Luke, though, didn't even seem to care that she left. He went straight into pounding me with questions about my life and the city. He had grown up on the island his entire life, so he was curious about the "outside world". I explained to him that the city was an okay place to live, although it did get crowded easily. There were some cool things to do and see though. He suddenly cut me off though and whispered, "Bro! There she is!" His "whisper" was more like a ragged yell. He was rushing to smooth down his hair when Candace walked over.

She spoke so quietly that I almost didn't catch was she said, "Thank you for inviting me tonight."

She sat down in between Luke and I, and there was only a minute or two of small talk (awkward talk). Soon enough, Luke began to just take control of the conversation and steer it anyway he wanted. Sure, he was doing most of the talking, but he gave Candace plenty of room to speak too. I even saw her crack a genuine smile a few times. I had to admit, she was actually sort of pretty now that she wasn't hiding behind her sewing machine. She was all Luke's though. I would make sure of that.

Best wingman ever.

Out of nowhere a loud crash and the shattering of glass made everyone in the room jump and look around. No one said anything until a voice in the back yelled, "Dammit!" I craned my neck to see the blonde girl who was over here before kneeling down to pick up glass.

I quickly excused myself from the table by saying, "I'll be right back," and headed over. I was surprised no one else got home and offered to help except me. I kneeled beside her and began picking up pieces of glass before I even asked, "Need any help?"

"Oh thanks! I'm such a klutz sometimes; it's ridiculous," She said, laughing quietly at herself. We finished throwing what seemed to be a couple of broken mugs back onto the tray.

I lifted it up before she got the chance, "Where would you like this?"

She told me to just follow her and lead me into a room behind the bar's counter. It was a pretty small room that was just filled with a some hanging cabinets and a sink that held a pile of dirty dishes. She took the tray from me and dumped the broken shards into the opposite side of the sink. She looked back at me, wiping her hands on her apron, and said, "You're the new guy I just met. Ryan, right?"

I nodded, trying not to jump for joy at the mention of her remembering my name. Play it cool, Ryan. I replied, "Yeah, that would be me. I don't think I ever got your name, though…"

"Kathy St. Thomas," She said, sticking her hand out. She had a surprisingly firm handshake for a girl. And I couldn't help but notice how warm and soft her hands were. Not to be creepy!

Wow. No matter what, that just sounds creepy.

She was really pretty, I realized. I mean, I knew she was pretty before, but now that I was closer up, I realized just how pretty. Like insanely pretty. I never knew what people meant when they said a person had nice cheekbones, but whatever they were, Kathy had them. She also had these really green eyes hidden behind long eyelashes. She had a cute little nose where a some golden freckles were splashed across. She was a few inches shorter than me and my six foot even.

Wow, now I sound even creepier describing her. I'm losing it.

"Kathy," I repeated, "Nice name."

She smiled, and I realized she had dimples too. Not obvious ones, but the kind of dimples that make you want to keep her smiling just so you can see them.

Before even thinking of the consequences, I blustered out, "Can I buy you a drink or something? On your break?" Right after the words left my mouth, I wanted to shove them back in. It was such an unsmooth way to ask a girl out. Usually I'm a lot smoother, but then again, most girls aren't this attractive.

With a laugh, Kathy took a step back. She moved her head up and down my body so slowly in order to check me out that I knew she was just kidding. She looked back up at me and asked slyly, "Depends…What are your intentions?"

I feigned innocence, "What? Can't a guy ask if a girl wants a drink without having any deeper motives? Maybe I just want to blow some cash that's burning a whole in my pocket!"

She raised an eyebrow mockingly, "Uh-huh."

I continued to play along, "Fine. If you must know, here we go: First, I intend to get you completely smashed."

"Sounds interesting. Please go on."

"Then I plan on bringing you back to my place. You'll be too out of it to remember not to go back to stranger's homes. Then, I'll bust some moves and seduce you."

She was trying to hold back a laugh. She commented, "Oh good. Everyone could use a good seducing every once in awhile."

"My thoughts exactly. Good, we're on the same page. And then you'll be too distracted by me and my seducingness, you won't notice me stealing your money and knocking you out."

She gasped dramatically, "And what do you intend to do with my unconscious body?!"

I shrugged, "I don't know. Probably just add it to my collection of girls silly enough to accept my offer for a drink." I paused and winked at her, "Interested?"

She placed a hand on her heart, "Well as totally romantic and tempting as that sounds…I would totally accept…"

"You can even have your own coffin…" I added.

She cracked a smile, "If only I was 21."

I tried not to show how disappointed I was. Trying to keep up the act, I replied, "Oh well. There are plenty of other girls to lure into my trap then, I suppose."

"I'm sure you'll find somebody else," She said, her voice thick with sarcastic sympathy. There was a moment of silence where we just looked at each other before bursting into the laughter we had been trying to hold back. She collected herself long enough to ask, "Do you really have a collection of girls?" before starting to laugh all over again.

I scoffed. "Oh yeah, of course. I keep them hidden under my bed." I tried to do that crooked smile thing I heard girls find attractive, but I'm not sure if it was successful or not. I couldn't help but think about how I had just met this girl, and it already felt like we had been best friends for awhile.

She rolled her eyes and walked past me back into the bar, "Well, Ryan, it was nice meeting you. I'm honored you told me all about you and your seducingness out of everyone in this bar. I have to get back to work though, and I'm guessing you have to get to bed soon. Farming and all meaning waking up early."

I shrugged; I wasn't tired five minutes ago, but now that she mentioned it, I could feel the heaviness behind my eyelids. I looked over to Luke and Candace, but after I realized how much fun they were having on their own, I decided it was better if I didm't go interrupt to say goodnight. I looked back to Kathy who was smiling over at their table too, "I guess you're right. I'll see you around?"

She nodded, "Yeah, more than likely. I work her every night but Sundays. I'm always walking around town though during the day. If you ever want to talk or hang out, you know where to find me!"

I smiled, "Sounds good. I'll let you get back to work then. Nice meeting you."

"Backatcha. Oh, and thanks again for helping me out earlier!"

I made my way to the door, but as I reached for the handle, the door swung open from the other side. A big guy, probably a solid 3 inches taller than me strolled in, bumping his shoulder roughly against mine. I was going to say something, but then I saw how huge he really was. He could probably crush me just by staring at me long enough. He bellowed, "Kathy! I'm here, baby!" as he walked in.

My shoulders slumped, of course a girl like that already had a boyfriend. I was stupid to think someone wouldn't have already "claimed" her by now. Well…Maybe there was still a small chance for me. A little hope. Right?

I hope there was a little hope.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you guys go! Hope this was written better than my first two original chapters! Please feel free to leave a <strong>**review to let me know how I'm doing. Thanks for stopping by! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay...So it's been a lot longer than I thought it would be before I uploaded this. What happened is I found myself writing chapters for this story that aren't even going to happen until more than halfway through it. I dunno; it's weird. I just couldn't concentrate on this little section here which is why it may not be my best. So I'm apologizing for taking forever as well as how bad it may or may not be.**

**If you actually read all of that and followed (which may not have happened because it's 3 am here, and I'm beyond tired) then thanks! You rock. **

**Read on, though. **

* * *

><p>The morning forecast was wrong. Right after I had fallen asleep, it began to rain, so I still had to water in the morning. Gray overcast was still hanging in the air as I walked out my front door, watering can dangling from my hand.<p>

The time it took me to water the seeds, opposed to hoeing and planting them, was great. It only took me 30 minutes instead of the almost three hours of planting it had taken yesterday. I quickly finished, not even breaking a sweat thanks to the still cool air from last night's storm.

I walked into the barn where my cow, Queen, was just hanging about. I walked by her to fetch the hay, scratching her head good morning as I did so. She let out a happy moo and set to work eating the hay as soon as I placed it inside the bin. I brushed her for a few minutes, something Renee instructed me to do, before walking to the chicken coop.

Rori, the chicken, was jumping around as soon I walked in. She was already mature enough to lay an egg everyday, so after picking her up and saying hello, I placed said egg in the shipping box. I threw chicken feed over the floor, and Rori chirped happily.

I went back inside my house and took a shower even though I had only done barely 45 minutes of work. Despite it still being cool outside, the humidity in the air from the storm made me feel all sticky. And as much fun as that is...Well, it isn't fun. I changed into jeans and a baseball sweatshirt from my old high school, wondering what to do for the rest of the day.

I pulled my laptop out and got settled into my bed. I typed another email to my parents, a longer one this time, explaining how I already met a few people and about my new animals. I told them not to worry and that I was doing fine. I played some solitaire, mindlessly waiting for something to do to magically appear.

Then a knock sounded on my door. Swinging it open revealed a grinny Luke, "Hey Ryan!"

I let him in, "What's up?"

He sat down at my table as I leaned against the wall, "I just wanted to stop by and tell you how the rest of the night went."

He continued, "It was really fun; we actually have more in common than I thought! Sure, she was shy at first, but she really opened up after awhile," Luke explained, a glaze coming over his eyes, "She really likes lavender flowers though...I don't know where to find them."

I checked the wall clock which said it was still pretty early, not even noon yet. I looked back to Luke and smiled, "Well since I got nothing else going on today, wanna go look for some?"

Luke's face lit up, "Seriously?! Awesome! Let's go!" He jumped off the chair, pumping his fist in the air. I laughed, this guy was so easily excited.

* * *

><p>As Luke and I walked around the island, I tried to memorize the surrounding and paths we were taking. The problem was that we weren't taking any paths, and we were just wandering around in the grass. We passed a couple flowers, but none of them were lavenders, so we kept looking around. And yes. I do know what a lavender looks like. And I'm man enough to admit to it.<p>

"So, are you going to ask Renee out sometime?" Luke suddenly asked.

Thinking back on how sweet Renee was yesterday, I considered it. She was pretty and easy to talk to. I nodded, "Yeah, I probably will." I pushed Kathy out of my mind; she had a boyfriend. That really big chunk of muscle who would probably kill me if I pulled anything...

Luke then proceeded into an idea of a double date. "We could go like to...um, like, I don't know, the Sundae Inn and get food."

"Didn't you just go there with her last night?" I cut in. Was there really nothing else to do on the island for dates besides for getting something to eat at the Inn? Oh boy.

Luke blushed, "Yeah but that was just casual. This would be like a full on date!"

"Ahhh," I said. Scanning the grass, I spotted a patch of purple a few feet away, hidden by some bushes. I had Luke follow me and sure enough, we found a bunch of lavenders.

Luke whooped with excitement, picking a handful from the ground right away. I suggested leaving a few there and not picking them to ensure that more would continue to grow, so he could come back later and grab some more.

As we were walking back, I decided to casually mention Kathy to see what he knew/thought about her.

"So um, Luke?" I began.

He was smelling the flowers as I looked over but still replied, "Yeah buddy?"

"Uh, well you know that bartender we met yesterday?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't assume I liked her already. Which I didn't. Right? Right.

"Kathy? Yeah, she's the best!"

I laughed nervously, "Oh yeah, she seems really nice. We talked for awhile yesterday, so I was just wondering if-"

"Did I hear someone say Kathy?" A deep voice said behind us. We both turned around and I saw the strong looking guy from last night walking toward us.

Luke rolled his eyes, "Yep. We were just talking about her."

The guy narrowed his eyes and crossed his massive arms, "Why?" He asked defensively.

I evaluated the guy. He really did look like he could crush me without even breaking a sweat. It also seemed like he was proud of the fact considering he was dressed in a skin tight black tank-top. He had spiky orange hair which made him look a little like a hedgehog.

Luke shrugged, "Why not? What's it to you anyways, Owen?"

I was surprised. Luke seemed like a super laid-back kind of guy. I wouldn't expect him to question anyone the way he was question this guy right now. I though he'd be more of the "Yo. Why can't we all just chill and be friends?" kind of guy.

The guy, Owen, scowled, "Cause Kathy's mine. So you better back off, axe boy. Same goes out to you...Whoever the hell you are," He threatened, locking eyes with me.

I didn't say anything, just held his eye contact until he turned and walked off. I tried to keep composed and cool, but on the inside I was freaking out. Luke groaned after the tanked-hedgehog left, "Don't worry about Owen. He's just a jealous jerk."

"Seems like it," I agreed, eying Owen's retreating figure warily.

* * *

><p>I smoothed my hair down a little as I walked to Brownie Ranch. Luke talked me into asking Renee out on a double date for tonight. Even though I had a good amount of dating experience, it was always nerve-racking making the first move. I held the lavender Luke lent me behind my back as I opened the store's door.<p>

Cain, Renee's father and owner of the ranch, greeted me as I stepped inside, "Hey Ryan! How are the animals?"

I smiled, "Oh, they're great. Thanks again for the deal, I really appreciate it." And I really did. Cain and his wife helped me out so much on my first day.

He shook his head, "Don't even worry about it! We were more than willing to help out," He paused, raising an eyebrow, "But what can I do for you today?"

I cleared my throat, feeling my face heat up, "Um...Well I was actually looking for Renee..."

"Right here," Her soft voice said, as she walked into the room. She smiled at me, "Hi, Ryan."

I grinned back, "Hey."

We just stood there smiling at each other until Cain got the hint and excused himself. Renee got a concerned look on her face, "Oh no! You're not here because something's wrong with the animals, are you?"

"What? No! They're fine. Great actually," I reassured her. She let out a sigh of relief as I continued, "I'm here to see if you might wanna go to dinner tonight. Luke and Candace are heading to the Inn and wanted to see if we were interested in joining them..."

Yeah, that sounded polite enough. Smooth enough, even. Not too detached, but also not too pushy. Just right. I'm so good.

Renee blushed, "Oh...So kinda like a double date?"

"Yeah, that sounds right."

She nodded, "Sounds like fun. I'll go. What time?"

We planned to meet around 6 and awkwardly hugged before I turned to go. Then I remembered the flower in my hand, "Oh! Um, here you go," I said a little too loud as I handed her the lavender.

Renee smiled, "Aww, thank you, Ryan. That's very sweet!"

I grinned at her and, with a shrug, said, "I try. See you later."

"Bye!"

* * *

><p>I walked up to Luke as he fidgeted with the tie he was wearing. He was trying to smooth it out but eventually gave up and threw his hands in the air in defeat.<p>

"Looking spiffy, bro," I teased.

He grimaced, looking down at his outfit. Instead of his usual vest and bandana, he was wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a blue tie that matched his hair. He nodded toward me and said, "Yeah, same to you. I hope I'm not under dressed or anything..."

"Nah, you're fine. It's weird though. It looks like we match..." I said, addressing my blue shirt and black tie. I gave him a sheepish smile.

Both girls suddenly walked up, and I was surprised to see then laughing with one another. I didn't know the two of them were friends - let alone giggly friends...Renee looked nice in a yellow sundress, and Candace actually had her blue hair pulled into a fancy ponytail.

"Hey there," I said, wrapping my arms around Renee in a quick hug. Candace and Luke just smiled at each other widely, saying hello. The four of us walked inside and sat down, idle small chat occupying the time it took us to sit down.

There were a few awkward silences, sure, but it wasn't that bad. I heard a few funny stories from Luke about when he was a kid, Renee told us about the animals at the Ranch, and Candace explained how Luna and Gill were finally setting a wedding date. Hearing Gill's name set off an alarm in my head. That kid for some reason had something against me, and I still wasn't sure why.

"Hey, would any of you know by any chance if Gill has a reason for hating me?" I asked, looking around the table.

Candace shook her head no and Luke just shrugged. I sighed, maybe he was just insane, but then Renee spoke up, "I might have an idea..."

She bit her lip and lowered her voice, "He doesn't like how you're the new rancher."

"What? Why not? I don't see why it matters to him."

Luke's hand shot up in the air and he bounced up in down, "Oh, oh! I know!"

I laughed. It was like we were at school, and he knew the answer. He didn't answer when I looked at him, so I asked, "Yes, Luke?"

"Cause his old buddy was the rancher before you. He's pissed off that the other guy left. So he's even more pissed that you're replacing him," Luke explained, placing his hand back down. I was confused. I still didn't see what the big deal was. I was about to ask why the old rancher left -

But Renee quickly changed the topic, "Um...Hahaha! That's so funny, Ryan!" She cried, beginning to laugh hysterically. The rest of us gave her weird looks, but the other two joined in her laughter as soon as Kathy walked over to our table.

My breath caught in my throat as soon as I saw her again. She wasn't just hot; she was seriously beautiful. It amazed me how a girl like that could live in a small town like this. I banished the thought from my head though. She had a boyfriend, and I was on a date. Saying another girl was beautiful would not score me any points in the dating game..

"Hey guys, what's so funny?" Kathy asked, leaning forward on the table.

Luke slapped me hard on the back, "Oh, Ryan just told us a really funny story. Hahaha it was great!" He explained, hitting me on the back again. I looked around the table, giving everyone a confused look, but they just kept laughing.

Kathy laughed softly also, "That makes sense. Ryan is a funny guy," she said, throwing a smile in my direction.

I felt my cheeks heat up but turned away so she couldn't see. Renee's laughter died down, apparently signaling the other two to also be quiet. Kathy pulled out a pad of paper and asked, "So what can I get for y'all?"

We all ordered, and Kathy left with a smile. As soon as she was out of earshot, I hissed, "Okay, what was all that about?"

Luke awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. He casted a glance over his shoulder before explaining, "The old rancher isn't a subject people tend to discuss with Kathy around. It's a long story, but it's better to not bring it up..."

"I'm really sorry for putting you in an awkward spot," Renee apologized. I shrugged; it wasn't that big of a deal ,I guess. We continued the evening with no one commenting on the matter anymore after that.

The four of us parted ways at the end of dinner. Candace and Luke headed down toward town and Renee and I toward Brownie Ranch. When it was just the two of us, conversation was pretty easy with hardly ever any awkward silences.

"So how are you enjoying the island?" She asked, smiling up at me.

I grinned, "You know, I honestly can't complain. I've only been here for a couple days, but it's starting to feel like home!"

We kept walking and I felt Renee's hand slip into mine. Her hand was small but a little rough, probably because of all the work she does on her family's ranch. I glanced down, and she was smiling a little to herself. Maybe she was glad I didn't pull away?

"That's good. I'm sure everyone is glad you're here," she trailed off and then shyly added, "At least...I know I am."

I felt my face warm up, "I'm glad I'm here as well. Oh, here we are," I said as we approached her house. We stood outside her door, still hand in hand. She let her hand drop along with her eyes. I cleared my throat, "Well tonight was fun. We should do it again sometime,"

She nodded, "Of course. Thanks for inviting me."

I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, "No problem. Have a good night, Renee!"

She blushed, "Goodnight. See you around."

* * *

><p>"RYAN! OPEN THE DOOR! RYYYYYANNNNNNNNNN!"<p>

I shot up from bed, eyes wide and flying around the room. I didn't move, didn't make a sound. Maybe if I just laid back down and closed my eyes, he would-

"Come on! Open the door! Bro!"

I groaned. He obviously wasn't going to let me go back to sleep. I reluctantly pulled myself out of bed and made my way to the door. As soon as I swung it open, Luke burst in, grinning from ear to ear.

I rubbed my eyes, "Good night, I take it?"

"Heck yeah! Okay, okay, okay. Picture this," He said, making himself comfortable at my table. "We went back to town and toward the beach, right? Being real smooth and all, I reach down and end up holding her hand. Not awkwardly, but full on waffle style. You know, the locking fingers and all." He even took the time to demonstrate his hand holding style to make sure I got the entire imagine in my head.

I tried not to laugh at how excited he was getting.

"So we're at the beach, right? We end up sitting on the sand - still holding hands - when I get this idea. I wanted to kiss her."

I cut in, "Oh man."

"Shut up! So yeah. I knew I wanted to do it, or at least I wanted to TRY to go for it. The only problem? I didn't know if she was ready or not."

"Well was she? Did you kiss her?" I asked. I was actually curious and excited to know the rest of the story. Knowing what I already did about Luke though, the story would be dragged on for awhile.

He shushed me loudly, adjusting himself to be leaning back in my chair, "I'm getting there, yo! I didn't want to be lame and ask if it was okay if I kissed her. I heard girls think that's lame. It's lame, right? So that isn't what I did. I just started talking about who knows what, something funny to get her laughing. It worked, but then I got all serious and just sort of looked into her eyes. For awhile. I mean, I wanted to just go for it then, but I knew I had to set the serious mood," he paused and took a deep breath.

"Then I just kinda leaned in a teeny tiny bit and smiled at her a little bit to judge her reaction. She smiled back, so I took that as a GO! So I went for it and leaned the rest of the way in! I kept it clean though; short and simple," He said, eyes glazed over in a "dreamy way".

I patted him on the back, "Awesome! Good for you, man. I'm proud of you," I said.

He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. I asked if he planned another date anytime soon with her, and he shook his head, "Nah. I was gonna play it cool for a day or two. I mean, I won't ignore her; I'm still stopping by the tailor's and saying hi. I'll wait for awhile to ask her out again though."

"Good plan. Renee and I had a good night too. Not as good as yours though," I said, throwing a water bottle at him. He looked down at it, confused. I explained as I opened the front door, "Well now that you're here, you're stuck helping me with the crops. You're gonna get thirsty."

"Aww….Do I have to?!"

"You woke me up. So yep. Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Luke helped me out with my chores for an hour, which helped a lot, but after he left I still had more to do. This whole farming business was a lot of work. I mean, I knew that when I signed up but damn..<p>

I let my mind wander a bit while I was brushing Queen. I had only been on the island for a week, but I had already had gone on a date. With an awesome and sweet girl none the less. Things could only get better from here, right? Renee really was great. She was sweet, nice, funny, and cute. I could see myself getting into a relationship with her, even though it had only been a date.

But let's slow down. It had been only ONE date. Let's not get wifed up quite just yet, Ryan.

I finished the farm work and decided to go walk around the island to explore. The weather was perfect for it. I could walk around in jeans and just a t-shirt and not be cold or hot or anything. I eventually found myself in a huge open field that was filled with high grass.

In other words: I was lost.

Who cares though when the sight I was lost in was as beautiful as it was? There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the blue background stretched as far as the grass did. Well probably farther, but the grass went pretty far too. To my left were the island's mountains, and to my right was the sea. In front of me was Kathy riding a horse, approaching me. Man, what a sight.

Wait. What?

I panicked when I realized that seeing Kathy wasn't just me zoning out and imagining things. She was actually on a horse and coming closer to me every second. I tried to fix my hair in a way that made it seem like I was just casually running a hand through it - at the same times that I ran my tongue over my teeth to make sure none of my breakfast still hung around. The horse slowed down, and she jumped off.

"Funny running into you out here," She said.

I shrugged, "I thought I'd go exploring for the rest of the day. Somehow I ended up here!"

"Yeah, this is usually where I go riding when I have the time," Kathy said, motioning towards the horse. She smiled, "This is Sophie, by the way."

I didn't know much about horses, but Sophie sure was a pretty one. She had shiny black fur, and her intelligent eyes held my gaze as I said hello. Kathy scratched Sophie's head, "I've had her for the past couple years. She's great."

"Yeah? Sweet. I'll have to take your word for it though because I never really have ridden a horse before…" I admitted. Kathy looked at me with a dropped jaw and wide eyes.

"Really?!"

"Really. I was a city slicker before I came here. Not many opportunities to ride a horse in town square."

Again, I was amazed at how easy it was to talk to this girl. She never once made me feel uncomfortable, and so far there were no awkward silences between us.

She shook her head, "That's crazy. My dad always said I was riding horses before I could even walk," She paused and smirked, "He's a dirty liar though. Likes to stretch the truth."

We went on talking for awhile, mostly about horses and her past with them, when Kathy randomly decided, "I'm going to teach you how to ride. You're not busy right now, are you?"

I shook my head no.

"Great, then let's go."

Instead of getting back on Sophie, Kathy just grabbed the reined and pulled her along side of us as we headed back towards the rest of the island. We passed the town and continued down towards Renee's farm. Renee was outside when we arrived, brushing one of their cows.

Kathy called her name, and Renee looked up and smiled at us. She yelled over, "One minute!" and finished up what she was doing. I began to panic a little bit; I was about to be in the middle of two girls that I both liked. I didn't want to do this. Oh man. I really did not want to do this.

Wait. Kathy didn't even know I liked her - did I like her? - so this couldn't be that bad. I just had to be cool about it.

Renee walked over to us and gave me a shy smile, "Hey Ryan."

Kathy began to talk before I got the chance to say hello back, "Did you know Ryan has never ridden a horse before? Crazy, right?"

Renee gave me a shocked expression, "Is that really true?" I shrugged sheepishly in reply, and she gasped jokingly, "Oh my! That's not something you hear very often around here. Don't worry though, I'm sure Kathy will be a great teacher."

"That's the plan!" Kathy said, turning away from me to face the barn, "So, do you think you can lend me…Hmm…Oli for the rest of the day? He's usually a sweetheart."

"Of course! You can just go and grab him from the stable. Have fun you two!"

* * *

><p>Riding a horse was a bit more difficult than I would have originally thought. Kathy had made it look so easy, the way her and Sophie moved so gracefully together. It was ridiculous watching that and then comparing it to my awkward movements with the white haired Oli. I felt like the horse was even getting impatient with me by the time a few hours had passed. Kathy, though, never once made it seem like I was wasting her time and only made a few sarcastic comments.<p>

"Well I think we can call it a wrap for today," She said as the sun was just beginning to set. I, slowly, removed myself from Oli's saddle and back onto solid land. I made a show of kissing the ground and calling it home, sweet, home. Kathy just rolled her eyes and called me a big baby.

We started back towards town, and that's when Kathy asked, "Are you in love with Renee?"

"What?!" I asked in surprise, laughing on the word as it came out.

She gave me a knowing glance from the corner of her eye, "You heard me. Are you in love with Renee?"

Even though she was asking in a joking way - or so I hoped - I could still feel my face heating up as I stuttered out, "N-no! It's been like a date and a half!"

"So? You could be the kind of guy who falls in love in that short of a time!" She replied quickly, giving me a suggestive eyebrow raise.

I shook my head, "Nope. Not me. She's awesome, but I'm not in love quite just yet."

She shrugged, and I took that as acceptance to my answer. We kept strolling along while I had an internal struggle on whether or not to bring her boyfriend up to her or not. I mean as soon as I asked I knew any chance I thought I could have with her would be shot to hell, but I couldn't continue to avoid the fact that she did have a boyfriend already.

"Are YOU in love?" I finally asked, trying to keep my voice as level as possible. I didn't dare look over at her after I asked.

"With?"

I tried to recall the guy's name, but nothing came to me. I flexed my arms, "You know! That big guy!"

She gave me a look of pure confusion, "Wait…Owen? You're asking if I'm in love with…Owen?!" I nodded. Kathy started to laugh so hard that she had to stop walking and let go of Sophie's reigns. I just watched this unfold while trying not to over analyze the fact that her laughter was adorable. After awhile she finally contained herself, "Oh goddess, no. There isn't a remote chance that I love Owen," she said as a tear fell from her eyes.

Unable to stop it from happening, I reached towards her and wiped the drop with my thumb. I withdrew my hand as soon as I realized what I did. Kathy paused for only a moment, her eyes a little wider than usual, before she hastily turned away to find the reigns. I threw my hands up in exasperation when she wasn't looking - why the heck did I just do that!? Stupid, stupid, STUPID. When she turned back around, my hands were stuffed into my pockets, somewhere they couldn't make a fool of themselves.

"You guys are dating though, right? Are you just not at that yet?" I asked, trying to get back onto the conversation in order to push the tear-wiping-thingy way into the past.

"Owen and I aren't a couple, Ryan," Kathy said as we reached Brownie Ranch. I explained to her how he overheard Luke and I talking earlier that week and got all defensive. Kathy rolled her eyes, "He's so dumb. Owen, I mean. Not Luke. Owen has this idea in his head that we're going to get married or something, and so he refuses to leave me alone. He's a nice enough guy, but he just doesn't get the fact that I am not interested in him like that in the slightest."

Seeing this as an opportunity to learn more about her, I began to delve into a list of questions that had formed in my head, "So is he not your type or…?" She shook her head no, so I asked the next, "Then what is your type?"

Kathy just gave me a curious glance before shrugging, "It all depends on the guy. I'm not going to set some impossibly high standards just to get disappointed when no one is able to live up to them, ya know?"

"So you never met the "perfect guy" for you? You know, prince charming?" I asked, joking with her.

Kathy's eyes suddenly dropped to the ground, and she didn't say anything for a few seconds. I mentally began to curse at myself because I obviously took it too far and it a nerve with her based off of her reaction to the question. She looked back up and smiled at me, but I could tell her heart wasn't in it. She just poked me in the ribs, "Course. His name is Ryan Scott, and he is just so dreamy!"

Even though I knew she was joking, I could still feel my face heat up a tiny bit of a lot. I had to keep it under control around this girl; I couldn't keep turning into the blushing schoolgirl ever time she teased me. This girl very well could be the death of me, I thought to myself. I played along, "That guy? Oh yeah. He's a hunk."

We continued on talking about how amazing I was until we reached Brownie Ranch. Renee must have saw us coming from her window because she met us outside as soon as we walked up. With a big smile on her face, she asked, "So? How was it? Did you have fun, Ryan?"

Handing her back the reigns to Oli, I answered, "Surprisingly, yes. It was a lot harder than it looks though, so I have to give you both credit."

Kathy laughed, "He struggled for a while. Okay, that's actually a lie….He struggled the entire time. I think he'll get the hang of it soon enough though!"

Renee giggled and suggested, "Well after that happens, maybe you and I could go for a ride sometime? I don't want to have to be babysitting you the entire time though, so you'll have to practice before hand!"

Kathy, seeing that the conversation was taking a turn towards the flirty, began to excuse herself. She thanked Renee for lending me Oli and explained she would put Sophie back into the barn. I asked, "Wait. Isn't she yours, Kathy?"

"Yeah, she is. But seeing that you can't really keep a thousand pound animal at a bar, I just keep her here. Renee and her parents are nice enough to take care of her on the days I can't make it to do it myself."

I nodded my head in understanding. Kathy said goodbye again, and, with a wave, she was off. Renee turned back towards me, "So you liked it?"

"Absolutely. It was a new experience for sure, but I would do it again in a heart beat. Plus, it was sort of cool to see the island on something other than my feet," I said, looking down at my work boots.

Renee smiled slightly and then looked down at her feet too, "I really did have a good time the other night, Ryan."

Although I was a little startled by the random change in subject, I rolled with it and agreed. Unlike Luke, who decided to play it cool with Candace, I decided to just ask Renee out on another date right then and there. I cleared my throat, "I did too. I was wondering if you wanted to go out some other time. Maybe just the two of us this time?"

She smiled really big and I could see her cheeks begin to turn pink even though it was starting to get dark out, "I would really like that. When works for you?"

We settled on Monday, her day off of work, and came to the decision to have a picnic in the afternoon. She would make the food, and I would bring just about everything else. I was okay with that though because my cooking skills were…lacking. And that was putting it kindly. As I left, I gave her another quick peck on the cheek like I had the night of our date before I turned away. By the time I got home, the last bit of the red sunset sky had just disappeared. I just turned on the TV, watched Elli do her news broadcast, and typed another quick email to my parents and a friend.

It hit me then that I didn't miss my home at all. I didn't miss the city, the late weekend nights partying, or even most of my friends for that matter. The island was already beginning to claim me for its own, I guess. I just felt like I actually belonged here.

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><p><strong>And that's that. Hopefully it won't take me so long to get the next chapter up, but I make no promises considering I haven't even started on that one yet...But chapter like 13 is ready and good to go! ...Oh well. Nothing I can do about my awful work ethic. Thanks for reading though. Reviews are always welcomed, and they give me inspiration to write quicker because that way I know people are actually reading...Well. Yeah. Bye! :D<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes. Okay. I know. I'm the worst. It's been forever since I uploaded anything, but I hope you guys will manage to overlook that and continue on reading this story. I just had massive writers block for the past how many months. I apologize. But please do read on for this next chapter! :)**

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><p>A month on the island had already came and went. Confusingly enough, it had been the slowest month of my life, but - when I look back on it - it was also the quickest. Luke and I were basically brothers already and hung out whenever I wasn't working and he wasn't with Candace. Their relationship had bloomed soon after that first kiss. They weren't "a couple" yet, but it does take a little time. Luke said he wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend in the right way and to not just assume that's where they were. Renee and I were also going well. We had gone on a few more dates, but I found myself more and more busy with my crops as they were getting closer to being ready for harvest.<p>

Kathy and I, on the other hand, were also becoming really close friends. I knew that she had claimed her and Owen weren't an item, but I didn't want to test that just in case…Well not yet anyways. I still got tongue-tied whenever she was around, and found myself tripping over my words more often than not, but she didn't notice. Or if she noticed, she didn't seem to care. Whatever the case was, we were friends, and I was okay with that.

Mostly.

Anyways, it was getting warmer with everyday that passed, and I discovered that doing farm work in the heat did not make me a happy camper. I also discovered that they call it a farmer's tan for a reason…Much to my dismay.

I looked around as I was working in the field to make sure no one would see me strip before lifting my shirt above my head and tossing it aside. Might as well cool down a little bit while evening out the color on my shoulders, right?

I was clearing out my fields of weeds when I spotted Renee walking down the trail towards my house. She was carrying a long, thin pole, but I couldn't quite make out exactly what it was from the distance she was at. She got closer though and said hello. She briefly ran her eyes up and down my now shirtless body - leaving me somewhat self-conscious - before I asked, "You going fishing?"

With a nod, she explained, "Yep! I never told you that I love fishing, did I?" I shook my head, tearing off my gloves and sticking them into the back pocket of my jeans. She continued, "Huh…Well whenever I have free time and the weather is nice, I like going down to Caramel Falls and spend the day fishing. It's just relaxing, I guess."

I smiled at her, "Sounds like it. My grandpa used to take me fishing with him whenever I visited him in Forget-Me-Not. There was this little pond back behind his farm that was crystal clear."

"Yeah, The Falls used to be kinda cloudy for awhile, but after Kevin showed up, they went back to how they always were: nice and clean," she explained. My ears perked up at the name Kevin. Even though I had only been on the island for a month, I had heard this guy's name mentioned several times in passing. I had never met him though or really asked about him.

"Hey, who exactly is Kevin?" I asked Renee, hoping to maybe clear up some of my questions.

Renee opened her mouth, but then she paused to take a look around. That made me even more curious…Why was she checking to see if anyone was around before explaining? She spoke after a second, "He was the farmer here before you, but I'm guessing you gathered that much out on your own, right?"

"I think Luke mentioned that when we first met, yeah."

"Well basically, before he showed up, the island was becoming a mess. The Mother Tree was wilting, and so the island was, for a lack of a better term, dying along with it. Then Kevin showed up, and eventually rainbows followed suit. It was weird, but somehow he saved the island."

"So he's a big deal?"

Renee took a deep breath in and looked torn, "Well…Sorta. He was."

I nodded, trying to keep up and understand. I shrugged, "Well where is he now? How long ago was this?"

She looked down at her feet, "He…Well it's easiest just to say that he moved somewhere else. It was maybe half a year ago? Maybe a little more."

This was just confusing me more. Why would he leave the island to move somewhere else after he saved the place? Personally I would stay just because of the fact that I was sorta the savior. A hero. Ryan, Thee Hero. It had a nice ring to it, but I was getting way off topic here.

I guess Renee sensed what I was thinking somehow because then she said, "There is a really long story about why he left, but it isn't my story to tell. I'm sure you'll hear about it soon enough though."

Something in her voice forced the conversation to be over, so I changed the subject. I asked, "How long are you going to be fishing for? I should be finishing up here in a few hours if you want to do something tonight."

"Oh. Well…I was planning on meeting Toby down at The Falls, and I told him I would join him and his family for dinner tonight actually," She said, sounding a little guilty. I didn't think about it twice though; Renee and Toby had been friends for ages, so I knew there was no reason to be jealous. I said that it was fine, and that I would find something else to do instead. Luke probably had nothing go on anyways.

I kissed her on the forehead, careful not to get too much of my sweaty body on hers as I did so. I pulled my gloves back on and got back to work as she left. An hour or two had passed when another visitor began making their way towards my field. I pretended I didn't notice Kathy as she approached, playing it cool as always. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed she had a picnic basket in one hand, and a towel in the other.

"Oh good. Your shirt is already off. This will go a lot easier then!" She said as she got to my field. Before even turning around so she could see me, I grabbed the tank top I was wearing before and pulled it back on. When I finally did turn around to look at her, she had her infamous pouty face on, "Well that's no fair. You didn't even let me bask in the glory of you shirtless!"

"Yeah, yeah. You're real funny," I replied, smiling at her. I pointed at the items in her hands, "You got big plans today or something?"

She beamed at me, "Correction: WE got big plans. BEACH DAY! I've got everything ready. We're meeting Luke, Candace, and I think maybe Bo at Cream Beach in a half hour."

Looking at my field, I quickly decided I could probably take the rest of the day off without anything dying on me. And it was really hot today, so a day at the beach was probably just what was called for. I said, "What if I had to stay and work on my fields though? You know, actually do my job? What would you have done then?"

With a smirk, she replied, "Even if that were the case, you would have blown it off."

"What makes you think that?"

"You wouldn't miss out on the chance to see me in a bikini," she said without skipping a beat.

She had me there, but I wasn't going to let her know it. I just laughed and agreed sarcastically like I always did whenever she said something along those lines. I was about to head into my house and shower, but then I realized I was going to be swimming so it would be pointless. Kathy and I just went inside, and she waited while I found my bathing suit and a bottle of sunscreen - just in case.

I opened the fridge, "You got drinks? Want me to bring a few beers or something?"

Kathy rolled her eyes, "You keep forgetting the whole 'I'm not 21 yet' thing…"

Right…For some reason, everyone in this town seemed to follow those rules religiously. It was way different from the city where I was from where teenagers started drinking before they even had their driver's license. I shrugged, but put two in her picnic basket nonetheless - just in case Luke or I wanted one later.

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><p>Kathy and I started heading to the beach. It really was a hot day, and the sky was clear and blue. I was only panicking a little bit about having to take my shirt off in front of Kathy, but I felt a little better after remembering that all my days working with my heavy tools outside was paying off. At least a little bit. So instead, I started panicking about seeing<em> her<em> in a bathing suit. That thought was quickly pushed out of my head when I spotted Luke and Candace in the distance. As we got closer, Kathy nudged me in the ribs with her elbow and made a show of looking at her hands. Understanding the hint, I looked over at Luke and Candace to see that they were indeed holding hands.

Good for him.

"Are you guys stoked for this or what?!" Luke said excitedly. Candace just giggled and waved a hello at Kathy and I. Hopefully she would start to get a little more comfortable around me soon, so it would be easier to get her to talk to the entire group.

When the grass started to turn into sand, Luke let go of Candace's hand and made a break towards the water. Kicking off his sandals and tearing off his shirt, he wasted no time jumping into the water. From there he challenged, "Come on, guys! Are you afraid of a little water or something?!"

I glanced over at Kathy, and she just raised her eyebrows at him before turning to directly face me. She was never one to back down a challenge. Without breaking eye contact, she grabbed the hem of her tank top and pulled it up and over her head. Before I could even think to turn red, she had already pulled her shorts down too. Standing up straight in her bathing suit, and with full eye contact, she gave me a big smile before throwing her clothes into my face and running to the water. I just remained where I stood next to Candace, stunned.

"Well that escalated quickly," Candace said after a few seconds. I looked at her, and there was a moment of silence, before we both burst into laughter.

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><p>We had been at the beach for about an hour, just goofing around, when Kathy walked up to me laying on a towel and asked, "Mind lubing me up? I usually wait an hour or two before putting sunscreen on just so I can get a little color."<p>

Did she just ask if I minded rubbing lotion on her? I would fight to the death for that privilege. I just shrugged, though. Playing it cool, I said, "Yeah, sure. Dry off first."

She began to use a towel to dry the beach water off as I rummaged through a bag to find the sunscreen. Laying her towel next to mine, she got laid down on her stomach. As I started to rub the lotion onto her upper back, she said, "They're adorable."

"Luke and Candace?"

She scoffed, "No. Luke and the Loch Ness Monster out there in the ocean. Yes, Luke and Candace! Are they officially an item yet?"

Shaking my head, I replied, "Nah. He wants to ask her to be his girlfriend in 'the right way'. He's a bit old fashioned it would seem."

"Yeah, well I think he wants to make sure he treats a girl properly to make his mother proud," She said. There was a moment of silence between us as I remembered how both Kathy and Luke's mom had passed away. I debated on asking about it right there and then but decided against it; Today was a day at the beach. That somber conversation could happen at another time and place.

Plus I doubted my ability to form a coherent sentence as I was rubbing lotion onto Kathy's lower back.

"No, but I am glad he's found someone," she continued, "He's the biggest sweetheart I know, but a lot of people don't give him a chance because he comes across as immature at times. In my eyes, though, he just has a super positive outlook on life."

I nodded, "Yeah. He was the first person who reached out to become my friend on the island. He didn't even think twice about it. And I think him and Candace will work good together, ya know? They'll balance one another out."

Kathy nodded before laying her head against the ground, "Mmm. You're good at that, Ryan. You know what? Just keep doing what you're doing and I'll just be here, taking a nap."

She was kidding, so I laughed along, but I could live a very happy and successful life in my eyes just sitting there, touching Kathy's back until I died. But I couldn't say that out loud without sounding like a total creep. Standing up, I said, "You would like that, but I have something you can do that you're going to like even more."

Not even bothering to lift her head, I just saw Kathy raise an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? And what might that be?"

I tossed down the sunscreen so it landed right in front of her and said, "_You_ get to lube _me_ up."

"Oh golly gee! I've been waiting my whole entire life for this moment!"

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><p>After a brief and muttered argument over who was going get to make the bonfire and get called "the man" tonight in front of the girls, Luke strolled over to the fire pit with a big smile on his face. In his mind, flamethrower beats everything in Rock, Paper, Scissors and it's totally fair.<p>

With the fire crackling nicely, Kathy pulled out all the ingredients to make s'mores. She then bragged to me about how she is the master of s'more making. She explained how it's all in the marshmallow to chocolate ratio and how the graham cracker was just the backbone that held it all together. Wasting no time, she proceed to make a s'more with the "perfect ratio". Just as she was about to eat it, I gave her the biggest puppy dog eyes I could muster and asked, "What? You aren't going to share?"

She looked back from me to the s'more about three times before sighing loudly.

"Fine. If you must do so, you may have a bite. Only one though!"

Winking, I opened my mouth expectantly, waiting to be fed. She just laughed. But in a sudden unexpected turn of events, Kathy quickly shoved the entire thing into my mouth, getting the chocolate and gooey marshmallow everywhere on my face.

Chewing what little had made it into my mouth, I nodded. I probably deserved that.

But then I got an idea. I locked eyes with Kathy, and she must have read my mind because her green eyes got wide in terror before she sprung up from the sand and made a break for it. Wasting no time, I followed her, chasing her around the beach as she screamed, "No, no, no! You keep your dirty face away from me!"

I have to give Kathy credit. She's faster than she looks. But then again, I was also a state runner back in high school. I pretended like she might get away from me for a minute or two before finally tackling her back onto the sand.

Doing a strange mixture of laughing and panting, she tried to hold my face at a distance, but I was able to get her arms out of the way. I looked her dead in the eye and said, "You brought this upon yourself," and then began to wipe my cheeks all over her face. Squealing and trying to push me me off of her, Kathy could hardly get out any words between her laughter.

I continued to rub my face, cheeks, and nose all over hers until we were both out of breath from laughing too much. Rolling off to the side, I looked back at her and burst back into laughter from her face. Chocolate was everywhere and she had tears running down her face. She began swatting at my arms playfully, "You're the worst!"

"Hey! Don't say that! I happen to think you look better this way!" I replied, curling up into a ball to protect myself from her.

She quit hitting me, and we both just laid there, trying to catch our breath. She looked over at me and held my eyes for at least five seconds before she rolled her eyes, shook her head, and smiled up at the sky.

And that's how I knew I was in trouble with this one.

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><p><strong>Just a little fun chapter. Please review and let me know what you think so far! I promise to <em>try <em>and upload the next chapter in a reasonable amount of time! Thanks all! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we are. Next chapter to _Just Friends_! **

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><p>After that day at the beach, I had came to realize that my feelings for Kathy were more than just friendship. More than just a physical attraction too. I had a full-on, school boy crush on this girl. Which sucked because I also had feelings for Renee. My head was all over the place, and I couldn't decide who I wanted to try and pursue further. Not that I thought I had a chance with Kathy; She's way out of my league. And I'm not saying that's why I like Renee, because she's "in my league" or anything, she's actually a very nice girl who I think the world of, but, it's just…<p>

I had a headache.

I had spent the last week trying to figure out what was going on in my head and in my heart, but all that did was make everything worse. On top of that all, it was just a rough week in general. My crops were ready to harvest, and from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep, I was taking care of my fields. I was making a pretty penny, but I was exhausted all the time. Speaking of time, I also had none to spend with anyone. Luke, Renee, Kathy, no one. It was a hard and lonely week to say at the least.

Which is why when I saw Kathy strolling up to my house as I was inside making lunch, I was ecstatic. I opened the door before she even had a chance to knock and ushered her in right away. She had a brown paper bag in her hand that she placed on the table and asked, "How's it going, stranger?"

I shrugged, "It's been a long week," and I explained how it was time to harvest and that I had no time to myself anymore.

She nodded empathically, "Trust me. I know how crazy the end of seasons are going to be for you. It takes a toll on your personal life for a week or two," She seemed a little sad as she said this. I was a little curious on how she was so aware of that, not being a rancher herself, but she was already on the next topic.

"So I brought you something…"

My ears perked up. I eyed the paper bag again, "A gift?"

She laughed a little, "Don't get your hopes up too much. It's nothing great."

Handing me the bag, I opened it and pulled out a _HUGE_ carrot. She looked a bit embarrassed, "Told you it wasn't that special. We just had a ton in stock at the bar, and I knew you were probably eating terrible because you're so busy," she explained, and I was suddenly trying to walk in front of her view to the bowl of cereal I was about to eat for lunch.

When I looked back at her, she was giving me her 'haha, I'm right again' smile. I smiled back sheepishly at her and said, "Well thank you! I appreciate it. I'll make something with in for dinner tonight."

I realized this was the perfect time to maybe ask Kathy on a somewhat date. Maybe she wanted me to and that's why she came over. Maybe she was feeling whatever I was feeling and wanted to see what could happen. Maybe-

"You should invite Renee over for dinner then!"

Or maybe she was just being a good friend…

Kathy seemed really sincere as she suggested this, leaving no doubt in my mind that it wasn't a mind game that some girls would play. She genuinely wanted me to ask Renee over. I took this in in stride and nodded, "Good idea. Yeah, I haven't seen her in almost a week. I don't want her to think I'm avoiding spending time with her."

Kathy beamed, "Great! We are going to go all out with this!"

"We…?"

With a mischievous gleam in her emerald eyes, she said, "We. Renee is a good friend of mine, so I know what she wants in a man. In a date, even! I'm going to help you be that man that sets up that date! Okay, you eat that crappy lunch of yours and finish your work for the day. I'll go tell Renee to be over by like…Seven? Yeah, seven. I'll be back around six to help you set up."

Before I even had the chance to protest, not that I would, Kathy was up and out the door.

She sure is something.

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><p>I hadn't finished everything that I would have liked to by six, but Kathy was not having any of that. She all but pushed me inside of my house and into the shower. She 'wasn't afraid to strip me if I wasn't going to do it myself'.<p>

Not taking up that offer, I showered away the sweat from working all day and exited in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Kathy all but threw a pan at my head for this.

"What are you thinking? You can't wear that! This is a dinner date! You are hopeless, Ryan!" She cried, rushing to my dresser. Tearing the drawers apart, she tossed me a pair of dark jeans. She asked, "Your eyes are blue, right?" and when I nodded, she threw over a blue pullover sweater I had too.

I changed, and when I walked back into the kitchen, Kathy had already set the table. There was a table clothe (I'm assuming one that Kathy had brought), candles (also brought by Kathy), and two plates, cups, and silverware set.

"So what are you thinking about making?" Kathy asked, eyeing the variety of crops that I hadn't shipped from today and placed near my cooking tools instead.

I began to run the crops under the sink, washing them, as I said, "Well…I have milk from Queen and eggs from Rori and a ton of veggies and fruit, so it's going to be a very ranch made meal. I was thinking tomato soup, Neapolitan spaghetti, and then carrot cake for dessert. Bueno?"

Kathy's jaw dropped, "You have enough time to make all that in less than an hour?"

Scoffing, I said, "You doubt me too much sometimes, Kat. I so got this!"

She just sat down and watched as I mixed, cut, and boiled my meal out. I was getting some butterflies in my stomach as I worked though; I hadn't really had a girl over to my house for dinner ever. I hoped Renee wasn't a picky eater, but then I remembered she lived on a ranch too, so it should be okay. I hoped.

Seven o'clock was approaching, and my house began to get the food aurora. Kathy took a deep breath from her nose and said, "Smells great, Ry! Maybe I should just tell Renee never mind and take her date myself! I do love a man that can cook."

Ignoring the jump in my pulse as she said that, I continued to work on dinner, "Hey. You could always be a third wheel and join us!"

"Oh no. I'd much rather just be a match maker. Besides, I have to work tonight. Gotta serve Hamilton his daily cocktail! Speaking of, my shift is supposed to start at seven, so I better get going!" She stood up and gave me a quick shoulder hug, "Good luck. Just give her that lopsided grin of yours and she'll be putty in your hands. Bye!"

And she left. I finished cooking, put the food onto the plates, and waited. At exactly seven, there was a knock on my door. Opening it, Renee stood there in a loose green dress. She smiled and gave me a hug, "Thanks for inviting me tonight. It smells great!"

We sat down and began to eat as Renee went through her week, telling me what was new with her life. I explained how busy I've been and how busy I'm going to be next week when I begin to plant summer's second round of seeds. I was actually impressed with myself by how well the food turned out to be. If I ever got tired of working on a farm, I would totally consider being a chef.

"This carrot cake is amazing!" Renee stated, closing her eyes blissfully as she took another bite.

"You can thank Kathy for that one. She brought it over here earlier; something about having too many at the bar."

Renee didn't seemed fazed at all the mention of Kathy. She knew we were good friends and didn't think twice about it. Just like I didn't think twice about Renee hanging out with Toby. Renee would talk about him a lot, catch herself doing it, and apologize. I might be a little jealous if I didn't know that they were just friends.

When Renee offered to help me clean, we settled on me washing and her drying. We did so in a comfortable silence since we ran out of new things to talk about towards the end of eating. I didn't know how to make a new conversation with her that didn't involve farming, animals, or fishing. I figured it was just me being awkward.

"Do you wanna stay for awhile? We can turn on the TV or something," I offered as she was getting ready to head out the door.

She paused for a second to consider it before saying, "I'm sorry. I can't tonight. I told Elli I would help her out for the festival tomorrow. Thank you for dinner, though. It was wonderful."

I nodded, giving her a hug goodbye. I pulled away before thinking that now might be a good time to kiss her. Still with her in my arms from the hug, I began to lean in. Right before our lips touch, she turned her face so that my lips landed on her cheek. My face was burning because rejection is never fun. She just smiled before saying goodnight. Maybe she hadn't realized I was trying to go for it?

Who knows.

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><p>"Wait, so you leaned in to lay one on her and she turned away?" Luke asked, clearly confused by Renee's actions.<p>

Nodding, I shrugged. I wandered over to the Sundae Inn after Renee had left and ended up talking to Luke about the night's events. He threw his arms up in the air, "I don't get it! Why wouldn't she want to lock lips with you? You're adorable!"

"Careful there, Luke. Keep saying things like that and Candace could get jealous," Kathy said, walking over to refill our sodas. She had also heard my story of rejection and tried offering some female insight, "She's probably just waiting for the right time for that first kiss. Try again tomorrow night!"

I didn't say anything for a moment before Kathy smacked my shoulder, "You didn't ask her to the festival?"

"What festival?" I replied defensively, rubbing my now somewhat sore arm.

Both her and Luke groaned at the same time, letting me know I did something terribly wrong. Luke was the one to clue me in, "Tomorrow night is the Firefly Festival. It's kinda like a couple's festival. You take your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, potential date-ee, or whatever. Everyone in town shows up to watch the fireflies float around, and it's pretty fun actually. It's my first year with a date!" He said proudly.

Kathy added, "Guys usually formally ask the girls to go the day before. I thought you knew, so that's why I tried setting up the dinner. So I guess I should apologize for not making sure you knew….Sorry!"

"No biggie. It's just too late to ask her now. Is it bad if I just try meeting up with her tomorrow night there?" I asked, hoping it wasn't too late to still have a date. It was my first romantic festival in town, and I didn't want to be the only one there alone.

Luke was the one who answered, "Nah. I'm sure she won't care cause she knows you dunno how things work around here. It should be fine!"

Kathy agreed before leaving again to take care of her other customers. Luke then leaned in and with a low voice said, "I got something to tell you. About Candace."

He looked around, lowered his voice even more, and told me, "I'm gonna tell her I love her tomorrow night…"

The way he said it wasn't in the typical Luke way at all. He wasn't trying to play it off in a goofy way or anything; he was very serious about it. That's how I knew he actually meant it. It was no longer just a little crush for him.

"Dude! That's awesome! Do you think she's gonna say it back?"

Luke's face turned bright red before he nodded once, "I think so. I'm nervous for real though. Not gonna get any sleep tonight that's for sure…"

I slapped him on his back, "It's going to be fine! You guys are perfect. Kathy and I talk about it all the time. Only thing I'm worried about is getting you in a tux for your wedding!"

"Dude!"

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><p>The next day, after planting and watering my new seeds which took until mid afternoon, I began to get ready for the festival. The weather probably couldn't have been more perfect. By the time the sun was beginning to go down, it was cool enough to be comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt. Tucking a rose in my back pocket, I began to make my way to the Caramel Falls.<p>

It was crowded. Everyone in town was chatting and socializing with one another. Bo, Luke's brother, came up to me and started making conversation. I was thankful for that because even though I knew everyone on the island, they all have known each other longer, and it's easier for them to talk to one another. A few more people came over to talk with me, ask how things on the farm were going, how I'm settling in after my almost two months, etc. I hadn't seen any of my good friends though.

I excused myself from Pascal to try and find Renee. I scanned the crowd a couple more times before deciding she must be somewhere along the bank of water, probably fishing. I smiled to that thought. She was so cute when it comes to how passionate she is about fishing. As I started to walk over the water, a hush came over the crowd and on the other side of the river, the fireflies were begin to light up.

Some people began to lay down blankets and watch while others stayed and talked quietly as they observed. I walked around, still looking for Renee, as I watched the fireflies dance in the air. I ended up wandering pretty far away from where most of the town was, so when I heard talking, I looked around. Spotting my blue-haired friend, I was about to call over, when I realized him and Candace were in what seemed to be a pretty serious conversation.

I held my breath; he was telling her. This was a pretty big moment for not only them as a couple, but also Luke as a person.

And I was totally creepily watching it all unfold.

That's when I see Candace practically jump into his arms in a huge hug. Even though it's getting dark out and they are pretty far away, I also see Luke with a big, goofy grin on his face, and that's how I knew it all worked out. Aww. They're in love now. How cute.

Taking that as a good sign on how ALL romantic events would be going tonight, I was suddenly even more excited to see Renee. If Luke and Candace are in love, I can totally get that first kiss. I was on cloud nine before I even found her.

So when I did find her near the waterfall, kissing Toby, I guess you could say it felt like my stomach dropped from the sky.

Usually in movies, this would be when the heartbroken one (me) would storm over, demand an explanation from the heartbreaker (Renee), and get in a fight with the jerk (Toby) who was with the heartbreaker (again, Renee.) And I really thought about doing so before I realized I didn't want to be that guy. That and I was too stunned to do anything but toss the rose I had brought to the ground and head back into town.

Since everyone was at the festival, all the houses and store's windows were black and empty. Not wanting to head back home and really focus on my new discovery, I continued to just walk on the sidewalks. I passed the Sundae Inn, noticing its windows were lit up. Recalling that I never ended up finding Kathy at the Firefly Festival. I walked inside, but she was no where to be found. That's when I heard sniffling fro behind the counter.

"Kathy…?" I asked, slowly approaching the bar.

"Noooo…Go away….." She replied, and I could hear that she had been crying in her voice. I found her, sitting on the floor on the other side of the bar counter, knees under her chin. I quickly moved in front of her, sitting indian style. She wouldn't make eye contact with me, just hiding her face in her hands.

I sat there in silence for a few second, not sure how to proceed with this unusually circumstance. Kathy did not seem like the kind of girl who would be crying. Over anything. I took a deep breath before asking, "Talk to me, Kat."

She shook her head, but I persisted, "C'mon. I wanna be there for you. Just talk it out. Whatever it is."

"I hate this day. I hate, hate, hate this day now," she said, her voice shaking.

"Why?"

She left out a quivering breath, "Because he ruined it for me."

"Who? Owen?" I said, naming the only name I associated with Kathy and a 'he'.

Kathy just shook her head again. I waited this time though because I was pretty sure she just needed time before she explained. I moved from being in front of her to the her side, leaning up against the counter. I put my arm around her shoulder, pulling her against my side. I ran my knuckles across her arm continuously until she began her story.

"I know people are super careful about talking about him now, but I'm sure you've heard about him….His name was Kevin. He came to the island, sort of like you, out of the blue one day. He was this big shot as soon as he came. He…He was new and exciting, and people just flocked to him… I flocked to him. He had this way of making you feel special by just looking or smiling at you. He made everything on the island better, and at the time, he made everything in my life better too… I fell so hard for him so fast. And for all I knew at the time, he fell hard for me too," she explained.

Everything was starting to make more sense now. That's why everyone got quiet when it was brought up during that double date. Why Renee had to look around before mentioning Kevin. How Kathy knew about the personal life of a busy farmer. I knew what Kathy was going to say before she even said it.

"We dated, and he actually proposed to me a year ago today…That's why I hate today. He fucking proposed to me on this day, and it was great, and it was romantic, and I was so happy, and then the day before the wedding he left… Just packed up, left his farm, his friends…me, and left. And I was lost. And I still am…I just hate him so much."

I was at a loss for words. Renee kissing Toby seemed like such a stupid problem after hearing all of that from Kathy. I just stayed quiet as she was trying to catch her breath. She leaned her head onto my shoulder, and I felt tears fall onto my shirt.

But she suddenly sat up and began wiping at her eyes, "But, anyways, how was the festival? Did you get your kiss? It's a little early for you to be back, isn't it?" She asked, talking too fast.

"Yeah…About that…While I didn't get down to any kissing tonight, Renee and Toby did, so…" I explained, trying to just shrug it off. To be honest, I really wasn't that upset. It sucked of course, but I knew it was probably for the best. I added, "I knew it wasn't going to last. Looking back on everything, we didn't have much to talk about, and we were too polite all the time, and it just wasn't right. I'm sure her and Toby are much better for each other."

Even with her eyes still puffy and red, Kathy was genuinely upset to hear that. She started to apologize to me, but I just brushed it off, "It's no big deal, really."

Laying her head back on my shoulder, we just sat there. We could have talked, but I think we both knew that we didn't have to. It was enough for both of us to just sit there, knowing that we had someone to share the silence with.

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><p><strong>Please review and let me know what you think! :) Thanks for reading!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Third update in three days? I am on a roll! Usually I would wait at least a week or something to update again, but I'm just too excited to hear what you guys think of the story! **

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><p>Summer had ran it's course on Waffle Island, and I had to say I was sort of glad it was over. It was great hanging out at the beach on my down time, but working in that heat was killer. Since that night at the bar, Kathy and I had become even closer, though it was still only friendship. I was happy with that, of course, but a part of me still couldn't shake the feelings I had towards her. It only got worse after whatever Renee and I had ended.<p>

Renee eventually told me about her and Toby. I wasn't mad or bitter about it, and I told her that as long as she was happy, I was happy. Toby had also came to my house one day to make sure I didn't have any hard feelings towards him which I respected.

After taking care of my animals and fields, I headed over to the beach. Only this time it wasn't to go swimming like usual but to go fishing. I was sitting at the end of the dock when I heard a familiar voice call over, "Look at this catch, trying to make a catch himself!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Kathy walking up. Since it was cooling down, she traded her usual skirt for a tight pair of brown jeans and a jean jacket. I, once again, had no complaints. This girl could wear sweats and an oversized hoodie and look gorgeous.

Sitting down beside me on the dock, she started toying with the floaters in my fishing kit.

"What do you think of Queen having a princess?" I asked.

Kathy gave me a weird look. I laughed before explaining, "Okay. I'll reword it. Should I get Queen pregnant and have another baby cow? It'll grow up obviously, so I wouldn't have too pay so much for a new adult cow. It's cheaper, but it takes more time."

"I say yes. Let's find a boy cow, preferably named King, and make them do the nasty," she said in a matter of fact voice before she jumped a little and threw the hook in her hand away, "Ouch!"

She had prick her finger with the sharp end of the fishing hook. A tiny dot of blood was coming from her thumb, so within a second of it happening, I brought her hand to my face. I took her thumb in my mouth, sucked for a split second, and then - friendly - kissed it.

Kathy look stunned. I just simply shrugged, "I was a Boy Scout for a few years." I saw that she was about to ask what that meant, so before she could ask, I quickly explained, "City thing."

"Gotcha…Well, thanks. I think. You aren't a vampire, right?"

"Not to my knowledge, no."

"'Kay. Cool. Anyways, I came down here for a reason," Kathy started, "I need you to be my boyfriend."

After hearing that, I almost choked from the intake of breath. I could feel my face burning up, and I hardly managed to stutter, "W-wait. What did you just say?"

Talking fast like she did whenever she got nervous, Kathy explained, "My friend Karen from Mineral Town is getting married in two weeks. Her and I always had this stupid rivalry when it came to guys, so the fact that she's getting married before me is bad enough, not to mention the fact that I don't even have a boyfriend anymore. She was super sensitive after the whole Kevin thing but that was like seven months ago now. And if I don't have a date to this wedding, she's never going to let me live it down, and I just-"

"Whoa. Chill. I'll be your date," I said, giving her a smile. She took a deep breath before thanking me profusely. I knew it was just for appearance, but I wasn't going to miss out on the chance to call Kathy my girlfriend. Even if it was just for a night or two.

We talked about it for a little while longer, figuring out who was going to take care of my farm while we were away. I would have to ask Renee probably, just because I had the most faith in her to take care of my crops and my animals. Her and I had ended on good terms, so I'm sure it wouldn't be too awkward to ask. Thankfully, I did the math in my head, and we would leave right after I harvest my first round of Fall crops and planted the second, so all Renee would really have to do is water everything.

I would just have to wait until I got back to get my cow knocked up.

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><p>I was hanging out with Luke a few days after that when he suddenly asked, "What's your deal with Kathy, bro?"<p>

Even though my heart started beating ten times faster when he asked, I played dumb, "Nothing? What do you mean?"

"I dunno, man. I just have this feeling that you're digging on her. I mean I've thought this since you first met her, but there was Renee too, but now I really feel like you're feeling Kathy…" He explained as he sharpened his axe.

I probably should tell Luke, I realized. He was my best guy friend, and he told me everything about his love life. He was an open book with me while I basically kept quiet about a pretty huge thing in my life - that I was crushing hard on Kathy - one of our best mutual friends.

I just shrugged which Luke took as confirmation, "Dude! I totally called it! I remember your face when you first saw her that night at the bar. It was like a' bam!' love at first sight sorta deal. And then at the beach, you were totally checking her out the entire day and then the marshmallow thing and…Bro. I knew it!"

"Is it really that obvious? I don't want her finding out cause it would ruin our friendship, and that's way more important to me than dating her," I said, beginning to panic.

Luke shook his head, "Nah. Well…Candace knows, but that's just cause I've talked to her about it. I'm sure Kat has no idea, though. Who knows? Maybe she's feeling you too! I mean she did invite you to that wedding…"

"I don't think so. I wish, but I really don't think so. It's cool, man," I said. And it was cool. I was more than fine with the relationship that Kathy and I had.

Luke looked a little disappointed. He probably wanted Kathy and I to get together because then our group would basically just be a double date every time we all hung out. I'm sure that would make things easier on him and Candace, so they could be a little bit more affection without feeling awkward in front of us.

Surprisingly enough, that's all he had to say on the matter. He didn't try to push me on it which I was thankful for; I don't think I could handle openly talking about this with him just yet. It takes awhile for me to be able to admit my feelings to myself, let alone other people.

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><p>Later that night, I had just entered my home, when I found my blonde friend looking around my kitchen. Kathy has randomly been in my home when I got back a few times, so I wasn't all that surprised to see her there. She didn't even bother turning around to face me as she said, "You have no food."<p>

I threw my backpack onto the floor and was taking off my boots as I replied, "Yes, I do. You just don't like any of my food that I have."

Turning around, she gave me a disapproving look, "Mac 'n Cheese, cereal, and Pop-Tarts aren't real food, Ryan. Seriously, how do you have any of those muscles? You eat like a five year old boy."

"Checking out my muscles, huh?" I said, bringing my flexed arm up to kiss my bicep.

She rolled her eyes and went back to tearing through my kitchen, "And you act like a five year old boy."

I ignored her, opened my laptop, and checked my email. I had gotten a new message from my mom, "Hey. My parents got a cat!" I called over to her.

"Yeah, Ry. That's great. That cat probably eats better than you do," she said without skipping a beat.

"Fair enough."

Throwing her hands up in the air, she cried out, "I give up! I don't get it. You grow food FOR A LIVING. How do you not have anything to eat?" I was about to explain how I have to sell my crops to make money, but she cut me off, "Doesn't matter. Come on. Put your shoes back on. We're going to the store."

The way she said it left no room for discussion or arguments.

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><p>"Hi, Simon. Is there anyway Ryan here and I could sneak in and grab a few things?" Kathy asked after we got to the General Store. Simon was just walking out as we were walking up, quitting time.<p>

Simon looked nervous as she spoke. Well Simon always looked nervous, but he was embarrassed nervous this time. He stuttered, "I don't know Kathy…i just closed up, and Barb gets mad when I let people back in because then I get home late…"

"Oh no! You don't have to stay! Ryan and I can lock back up once we're done and just leave the money on the counter for you to count tomorrow. I promise we'll be quick," Kathy said, batting her long eyelashes up to Simon. He glanced around once before sighing. He handed her the keys and made her swear not to tell his wife before leaving.

Kathy looked back to me, "Easy as pie," she flirted.

The General Store had recently expanded its size and now had four different isles filled with groceries and basically anything else you could need. Kathy and I split ways - her heading to the food and me heading towards the other section. There were coloring books, games, toys, how to cooks, kitchen supplies, and so much more. I saw a pair of toy hand-cuffs and wandered back over to where Kathy was.

"I know what we're doing tonight," I said to her. She looked up from the fruit she had in her hands to find me holding the hand-cuffs up and raising my eyebrows suggestively. She let out a noise that meant 'ew, you're gross, I hate you' before throwing the apple she was holding at my face. I caught it easily and took a quick bite as I walked away with a wink.

I aimlessly continued to look around until Kathy called me back over. I then found her with her arms filled to the brim with different sorts or fruits, "Um…Can you grab me a cart?" She looked so ridiculous with all of those things in arms that I couldn't help but to laugh as I pushed a cart in her direction. She merely just stuck her tongue out at me in response.

"Do you like spaghetti?" She asked. I nodded, and she threw a box of noodles into the cart.

"How about tacos?" Another nod and another few items thrown in.

"Popcorn?" She asked.

I nodded, but then quickly added, "Don't throw any in there though. I can make popcorn at home."

"Oh yeah? How?"

I explained, "Well as you said earlier, I grow crops for a living. It's simple. I take corn, get the kernels off and into a bag, and pop that in the microwave."

Kathy looked disgusted, "That's gross."

"It's great. Here, you buy a bag of that popcorn, and we'll go back to my house. I'll make my popcorn, and then we compare and contrast which is better!" We agreed on the competition before returning to the search of acceptable food items to have in an adult home. I then came across an old-fashioned polaroid camera. I brought it to my face and turned back to Kathy, who was paying zero attention, "Say cheese!"

There was a short and somewhat blinding flash. She looked up, noticed the camera in my hand, and began swatting at me with the nearest coloring book. Apparently girls do not like pictures.

I fanned the photo though while I waited for it to finish developing. Kathy was already moved on, and I think she was counting up the total amount of money it was going to end up being. I looked down at the polaroid and immediately smiled.

It was a side shot of Kathy from the shoulders up. I knew she was looking at the coloring books, but since they were out of the shot, all you saw was her trying to hold back a smile but failing as she looks out of the frame. She's probably remembering something that she colored in her childhood or recalling a time where her parents scolded her for not coloring in the lines. She doesn't look glamorous like most girls would want to look in a photo, but she looks real. She looks happy. And she looks incredibly breath taking.

"68 dollars, Ry," she said, getting me out of my daze from the picture.

I put it in my back pocket without thinking twice about it and said, "Goddesses. I don't even spend that much on a date! You're an expensive friend to have, my dear."

She just gave me a big, cheesy grin.

* * *

><p>"Alright, get ready to lose," I said as I put down two bowls of popcorn on the table where Kathy was coloring a coloring book from the store. She immediately pushed the book aside and gave me a look that said she was ready to win.<p>

She looked back and forth between the bowls, "Uh…Which one is which?"

"I can't tell you that! Then you'll lie and say that the one from the store is better even though you're gonna know it's not."

And there really wasn't a good way to tell the two bowls apart. They looked basically the same. Actually, they looked exactly the same. And so Kathy took a handful from one and chewed. She then took a handful from the other bowl and chewed. A very thoughtful look came over her face, and I knew she was trying so insanely hard to figure out which one was which. She repeated the process before giving me a triumphant smile, "This one is the one from store, and it's way better."

I looked down at the bowl she was pointing to. I counted to ten (mostly to just build suspense and mess with her) before saying, "Wrong."

"What?! No way!"

"Yes way, my friend. The bowl that you just pointed to and claimed was 'way better' is, indeed, my homemade brand of popcorn," I said, taking the other bowl and dumping it on her head. She gave me a murderious look before taking the second bowl and turning it upside down over my head.

"You just asked for it…" I said, taking a handful of popcorn that fell onto the table and throwing it at her face. She began to panic laugh like she did during the marshmallow incident, before tossing popcorn back at me. Then came a full out, popcorn throwing war. Chairs were throw down to trip each other, the table was flipped to provide protection, and popcorn was all over my floor. I ended up with a cooking pot over my head and a frying pan in my hand like a helmet and shield while Kathy was hiding underneath my bed.

Eventually, I see her raise a white sock she must have found under there in the air as a surrender. We slowly made our way to middle ground, cautiously eyeing the other to make sure there wasn't going to be a sneak attack. I dropped my frying pan to the ground and offered her my hand in a sign of true friendship and peace. She shook my hand with her own, and there was a pause before we both fell to the ground laughing.

It was at that moment when we realized, popcorn was all over my floor, and my house was a mess.

This, of course, only made us laugh harder.

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><p><strong>What are you guys thinking so far? I have the next two chapters basically written, so I hope to get them up in the next couple days here as well. I would love to hear everyone's feed back though! Regardless of you having an account or not, you should leave a little review down below. Even if it's just a few words. I love seeing how you all are feeling about the story! Thanks so much for reading as always! :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, friends. I just have a quick announcement to make. As of two weeks ago, I began my college career as a freshman. And things are pretty crazy. I'm going to try and write whenever I have free time between classes, homework, work, and friends, but I ask you to just be patient with me here. I'm not going to forget about this story, but I may not be updating as quickly as you - or I - would like. Thank you all for understanding, and please go on and read this next chapter. :)**

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><p>It was the day before Kathy and I were set to leave for the wedding in Mineral Town, and I was heading down to On The Hook to buy the ferry tickets. Kathy wanted to pay, but since I made bank from summer, I wasn't going to let that happen. I entered the shop only to be greeted by Toby, who didn't seem fazed at all to see me. That was one of the great things about Toby; He was so laid-back and chill about everything.<p>

"Hey. I need two ferry tickets for tomorrow, please."

He smiled, "Of course. Are you excited?"

Apparently everyone knew that we were leaving because Toby wasn't the first to ask me about the wedding. I nodded, "Yeah! It should be fun. Kathy wants to head into the city first cause she feels like I don't have any fancy enough clothes or something…"

Toby chuckled as he searched around the counter for the tickets, saying something about that's how girls operate. I was handing him the money when I heard the stores's front bell ring. Out of habit, I turned around, thinking I was going to find a familiar face to greet.

The girl who walked in was a stranger to me, though. In fact, I probably couldn't even call her a girl. She looked about my age, but she was definitely a woman. She had dark red hair that was pulled back into a long ponytail and olive skin. Hey eyes were a deep shade of purple and seemed like they were only half opened. She was dressed similar to a gypsy, so it was easy to see that she was shaped like a woman: Curvy.

I suddenly felt intimidated by her presence. She gave off a "higher than thou" vibe as soon as she walked through the door. She swayed her way over to me and Toby, not even looking at me before saying, in a sultry voice, "Hello, Toby. I'm here to pick up that check for my parents."

Toby just smiled at her, "Of course. Let me go in the back and grab that for you," he replied. Turning back to me, he said, "See you, Ryan. Have a good trip."

I thanked him and began to go when the woman stopped me by putting her hand against my chest. I looked down at her hand and then back to her, and she just gave me a inquisitive look, "I don't seem to recognize you."

I let out a laugh that sounded more like a nervous puff of breath, "Uh, yeah. No. Um, I just moved here like three months ago. My name's Ryan."

"I know. Toby just called you that," she said, moving her hand from my chest and examining her nails.

I just stood there, "Right…"

Toby came back and handed her an envelope, wishing her a good day. She gave him a flirty smile in return before looking back at me and saying, "Walk me outside." Her tone of voice left no room for discussion, and I found myself following her out the door.

Not really sure where she was headed, I continued to follow her as she said, "Now why would a handsome man like you move to this island of all the places in the world?"

Letting out another nervous breath of air instead of a laugh, I began, "Well, um, you see-"

She stopped walking all of a sudden and turned so her body was facing me. With her chest basically pressed up against mine, I shut up real quick and could feel my face burning. She just ran her eyes up and down my body slowly, a smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes were getting me weak in the knees. She put her hand onto my shoulder and got her tip-toes and for a moment, I swear she was going to kiss me.

"Will you buy me a drink at the bar?" she purred

I nodded my head so fast that I probably looked like a fool, "Absolutely, yes," I breathed.

She bit her lip and gave me a smile, "Wonderful. I'm parched, and there's someone I need to talk to at the bar."

Running her hand down from my shoulder and down my chest, she grabbed my hand and began leading me to towards the bar. I followed her dumbly again, stricken by her behavior. That's when Luke came out of nowhere and ran over me to me.

"What are you doing?" He demanded to her, and I was about to tell him that he was being rude.

She just let go of my hand and rolled her eyes, "Ryan here was going to buy me a drink. Is that a problem for you?"

Luke looked furious. His jaw was clenched, and his usual playful eyes were hard. He just said, "Yes. It is a problem for me. Ryan, we're leaving," He didn't even give me time to react before he grabbed my arm and lead me in the opposite direction of the bar.

I was so confused. He didn't say anything to me until we were back at my farm, that's when he yelled, "What the hell were you doing?!"

"Whoa! What did I do wrong?"

Luke threw his hands up in the air, crying out in exasperation. He started talking, probably trying to direct it at me, but it sounded like he was just muttering to himself, "Of all the people to hit on…If I didn't show up…If you got to the bar and Kathy…Oh goddesses, if Kathy saw Selena on your arm…Of all people…Why was Selena even…What was she thinking?"

More confused than ever, I had to physically grab Luke's shoulders to get him to stop pacing. I asked, "Dude! What are you talking about?"

He replied with a question of his own, "Do you know who that was?" I shook my head, and he groaned, "That's Selena. That's the girl that Kevin ran off with the day before his and Kathy's wedding."

My heart dropped, and I felt like I had gotten punched in the gut. I had no idea that Kevin had even left Kathy for someone else; she never mentioned that part. And understandably so. I had no idea what to say.

Luke just shook his head, "I get that you didn't know. So I'm not mad, but just a heads up for next time. Selena is nothing but trouble. She's hot, but she's trouble."

"So wait…Did Kevin cheat on Kathy with Selena then? And why would Selena want to go the the bar where Kathy works?"

Nodding, Luke explained, "He cheated, yeah. And for why to go to the bar, your guess is as good as mine. Maybe to rub it in Kathy's face? Make Selena feel good about herself by making Kathy feel bad? Who knows. All I have to say is that if you see Selena again, walk the other way. That's what mostly everyone does now."

"Noted.."

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><p>After the beginning of the day, I was nervous to see Kathy later that night. She had asked me over to help her pack for the trip, but I was afraid that somehow she would have found out about the Selena thing. She was as happy as ever to see me when I walked in though meaning that no one told her.<p>

I had considered letting her know myself but decided against it. She was already stressed out about the wedding, and I didn't want to make it worse.

"Okay, so you know how I said we were stopping at the city just so we could grab you something suitable to wear?" She asked, talking quickly.

The fact that she was talking fast let me know that I wasn't going to like what she was about to tell me, "Yes…?"

She gave me a sheepish smile, "We just need to make a quick stop at a few stores for me, too. I have nothing cute to wear to a wedding."

I groaned. I had dated girls who loved to shop before, and I had dated girls who hated to shop. Regardless, shopping with girls still took forever.

"Good? Okay, awesome!" Kathy said, without me really giving her a reply. She dragged me up the stairs of the inn, claiming she still had so much to do before we left.

I walked into Kathy's room and realized I had never actually been in there before. The walls were painted a light green, and her bed was tucked into the corner. The walls were mostly bare minus a poster from a pre-teen boy band, but there were several different picture frames on the nightstand beside her bed. Kathy was busy looking through her closet to notice me examining those pictures.

I recognized a younger version of Luke in one of them. He was hanging from a tree branch, grinning widely at the camera, while a younger Kathy was leaning up against the same tree, also smiling. They couldn't be older than ten.

In another picture, there was a close up on two blondes. One was the same girl that was leaning up against the tree from earlier; Kathy. She looked a little older here, not old enough to be wearing make-up, but not young enough to be in pigtails anymore. She was smiling with her head leaned up against the shoulder of a woman who looked like I imagined Kathy will in 15 or so years. She was beautiful just light her daughter with the same striking green eyes and bright smile.

"I was thirteen in that picture," Kathy suddenly said, sitting down beside me on her bed. She took it from the nightstand and held it in her hands, "She passed away almost a month after this was taken. We don't know why. She just wouldn't wake up one morning."

"I'm sorry…" I began.

She shook her head, "Oh, it's alright. It was years ago, and everyone really helped my dad and I out after it. It actually helped me dad realize that he shouldn't keep putting off opening the bar here."

We sat in silence for a moment as Kathy looked at the picture, a somewhat sad smile on her face. I nudged her with my elbow, "Hey. At least you know you're probably gonna end up being a babe like your mom when you're older!"

She snorted before laughing out loud, "You're disgusting."

"Be right back. I'm gonna go congratulate your dad on his fantastic taste in women," I said before beginning to get up. She pulled me back down onto the bed though, hitting me with a pillow.

"You're a goof."

I grinned, "Aww. Your kind words warm my cold heart, Kathy."

She gave me a weird look and laughed again, "Is that another city saying? Oh, doesn't matter. You need to help me pick out what to bring."

"Clothes would probably be best."

"Smart ass."

After helping Kathy chose her outfits for the three days we would be gone, I was heading out of the inn when Hayden called me over to the bar. When I first found out that Hayden was Kathy's father, I almost cried. It was too fitting. The most beautiful girl in town had the most intimidating dad. Since then though, he warmed up to me, and I was less nervous around him.

He told me to take a seat at the bar counter and passed me a glass of beer, "I just want to thank you for taking Kathy to this wedding, Ryan," he said gruffly.

"Don't worry about it! It's not-"

He cut me off, "But if you try any funny business or let her get herself into a bad situation…" He warned. He didn't need to finish his sentence; I knew what he was getting at

I gulped, "Understood, sir."

His face moved under his beard, and I think that meant he was smiling. Taking that as a good cue to leave, I shook his hand briefly before all but jogging out of the inn. I never even got to take a sip of my beer.

* * *

><p>Making my way to the dock the next morning, I was starting to get a little nervous. I mean Kathy had told me I basically had to pretend to be dating her for the next three days! That's all she told me about that part. I didn't know how she expected me to be her…fake boyfriend. Did I need to take on a fake name? A fake life story? Was I supposed to kiss her?<p>

A guy could dream, right?

Luke and Candace were at the ferry dock by the time I showed up, but Kathy was nowhere to be found yet. Candace was actually the first one to speak, "I wanted to wish you the best of luck, Ryan." I raised an eyebrow, and she continued, "Traveling with someone is a great way to bond and develop deeper feelings for one another."

My face turned red. I kept forgetting that now both Luke and Candace knew how I felt about Kathy. They would never tell her, but it always made me jumpy whenever it got brought up.

Luke threw his arm around his girlfriend and added, "That's why we never travel. I don't wanna bond with this one anymore!" He laughed, kissing Candace's cheek to assure her that he was only joking.

That's when Kathy strolled up, her luggage bag rolling close behind. She made a throwing up gesture, "Get a room, you two. You're going to scare Ryan! You know he isn't used to be getting kissed."

Kathy was never shy to remind me that the kiss between Renee and I never panned out. She meant it in a good-willed way, so I knew that it wasn't necessary for me to get mad. I just shoved her a little bit when she got next to me, and that was that.

We said our good-byes to our friends and boarded onto the ferry. Pascal welcomed us warmly onto his ship, and then he grabbed our bags and ushered us into the room. When I was coming here from home, it was a three day trip, and there was a bed, but since the city nearest to Mineral Town was only a few hours away, there was just a couch, love-seat, and a table this time.

Kathy and I made ourselves comfortable, and we were soon on our way. I was just about to ask what the plan was about us "dating", but Kathy must have read my mind and explained.

"So about the whole boyfriend thing…I want you to just be yourself. You're great. The only thing we need to decide on is how long we've been dating really. Other than that, Karen knows all about the Kevin thing, so we can't lie too much."

I nodded, thinking about a timeline in my head. I had moved to the island about four months ago, and Kevin left about seven months ago I believe, so…"Let's just say we've been together for like three months. You saw me and were like, 'Damn. That is a fine farmer,'."

She giggled, "Fair enough. All I ask from you is that you don't freak out when I hold your hand, dance at least a few times with me, and just give me a peck on the cheek or head every once in awhile. Just to make it seem legit…Is that too much to ask?"

"Not at all. I can do that," I said, mentally cursing myself for sounding so eager.

Kathy didn't seem to notice, and just began to tell me how her and Karen met a few years ago and after they crushed on the same guy in that pre-teen band from Kathy's poster in her room, they had this weird friendly rivalry. It was actually a funny tale, but I was too focused on the fact that soon I would get to hold Kathy's hand without it being weird.

Cloud nine, baby.

* * *

><p><strong>Again, I just want to thank you guys for being patient with me. I appreciate it. But you should totally put a review in the box below! ;) Have a good one until next time! <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, guys. New year = new goals. My new goal happens to be get better at updating my stories every once and awhile because I am soooo bad at it!**

**That being said, here is the next installment of Just Friends.**

**Little warning...There is a bit of provocative action later in this chapter. Very slight. All for good fun. I promise!**

* * *

><p>The way that Kathy's face lit up as soon as she saw the city probably made the entire trip worthwhile. She looked in complete awe even though she's been before. I guess growing up and spending the majority of your life in a small town really made you see things in a different way. I watched her try to call a taxi, and failing, for a minute or two before I took matters into my own hands. Since I was the one who grew up in the city, I knew how they operated. I had a cab pulling up on my first attempt.<p>

"It's because he saw me before…" Kathy muttered as she climbed in. She then smiled at the driver, "Can you please take us to the biggest clothing store around?" He nodded, and we were off.

As soon as we entered, I knew it was going to be a long day of shopping. There were at least four or five different levels to this store, and they were all packed to the brim with clothes. It looked like Hell to me, but the look on Kathy's face made me realize that it was Heaven for her.

I played nice as Kathy went from level to level, showing me ridiculous sweaters and boots, and putting the reasonable items in the cart. I had gotten so used to wearing works jeans and t-shirts that I almost forget sometime people actually looked presentable.

"How do you feel about a tux?" She asked, eyeing that section.

I scoffed, "I'm not the groom, kid. I would go for a suit but not a tux."

And with that, we headed over to where the suits were. Kathy began muttering to herself about what size I could be, but then she started laughing. I looked over to see what was so funny, and I found her pulling out a huge purple pimp suit. She begged, "Can you just please try it on? That's all I ask! Just put it on and let me see it!"

She was crazy. That thing was never going to fit! I guess that was the point though, and I decided to go along with it. We added it to the cart along with a suit that would probably actually fit.

"I don't know, Kat. After seeing how sexy I am in this pimp suit, I might just wear it tomorrow," I began as I exited the dressing room. The legs of the pants were on the floor, and the sleeves fell way past my hands. It was ridiculously big and baggy in all the wrong spots, and I looked like a clown.

Kathy laughed at me for a solid minute and a half before shoving me back into the dressing room, pleading for me to change out of that before she died of laughter. The next suit I tried on was better. It was dark gray and fit like a glove. I would even go as far to say I looked hot.

I walked out of the dressing room and tried to ignore the fact that Kathy's eyes got a little wider. It was probably just because she wasn't used to me all dressed up, not because she was attracted to me or anything. Right? Right.

She took a deep breath, walked in a circle around me and said, "Wow. Looking dapper, Ry. Do you like it?" I nodded, and she did the same, "Good. I like it, too. I'll go find a tie, and you change."

I knew that finding my outfit in less than two hours was too good to be true. That's why I was not surprised when I had to follow Kathy around not only the remainder of this store but also two more to find her a dress. Everyone she tried on looked fine to me because she looked stunning in everything, but she was never satisfied. She had held off on buying me a tie because she wanted to match it with her dress.

The dress that she was making no progress on finding.

We entered the fourth store when she gasped after walking in the door. Her face lit up, and I hoped and prayed that was a good sign. My feet hurt, and I was ready to take a good eight-hour power nap. She hooked her arm with mine and led me away. I noticed the jealous looks that the other men were shooting me right away, and I realized it was because they thought Kathy and I were together. I felt oddly proud, even though they were wrong, just for the fact that they thought I could land a girl like her. I was too busy gloating in myself to get a good look at whatever dress Kathy had pulled from the rack and left to go try on.

Five minutes later, she emerged from the dressing room with a huge smile on her face…But in the clothes she had been wearing all day long. Where was the dress? She told me to go find a dark green tie and basically shoved me towards the men's isle. I did was I was told, and we met back up at the front of the store.

"So let me see the dress!" I said, trying to peek inside the plastic bag she now held in her hands.

She swatted me away, "Oh no. You can see it tomorrow. I never got a 'prom' or whatever you called it, so I need to make my grand entrance and have my date - you - stare at me in awe!"

How did she not know that I would be staring at her in awe regardless of the fact that she was in a pretty dress? I stare at her in awe almost all the time.

I'm so lame.

* * *

><p>"It's so weird watching the news on this TV and not seeing Elli's face…" Kathy said once we had settled in our hotel room in the city. The plan was that we would wake up early tomorrow morning and drive down to Mineral Town in time to make the wedding where we would spend the night and then drive back to the ferry dock the day after.<p>

Kathy was already settled into her bed and was flipping through channels while I surveyed the room service menu from my bed.

"How's Owen?" I asked out of the blue.

Kathy groaned out loud, "He is STILL trying to get me to date him. Relentlessly, might I add. Even when I was with Kevin, Owen would be all over me. Don't get me wrong, he's nice and all, but he can't take rejection."

"Why don't you just give him a chance in that case?"

There was a pause, and I looked over to see Kathy seriously considering that question. She spoke up after awhile, "Well at first it was because I was dating Kevin, but now…I think he reminds me too much of Kevin to tell you the truth. Their sense of humor and attitude towards life are too similar for me to deal with."

She didn't stop there, "Which sucks because Owen is the only person who would marry me in town. All the other guys are either taken or too…odd for my taste."

I grabbed at my chest, pretending like I had gotten shot, "Ouch. I'm too odd for your taste. That stings," I said. I wasn't going to lie though; it did sting a little.

"Oh, shush, you. You don't really count. You're my best friend."

Okay. I wasn't going to lie. That one stung a lot. Here I was, spending the majority of my days thinking about Kathy in a romantic way, and she didn't even count me as someone who she wouldn't even date. That was when I knew I had to try and get over Kathy. It wasn't going to work out ever for me, and I was just wasting my time on her.

And I really did have that frame of mind set after that. Up until she walked out from the bathroom the next morning in that dress. She literally took the breath right out of me and made my jaw drop slightly. The dark green color of the dress made her bright green eyes ten times more intense and amazing. The dress was tight and somewhat low-cut, but it had sleeves about 3/4 of the way down her arms to make up for the skin showing on her torso. There was a dip in the back as well, so when I went to lead her out the door later that day, my hand was met by skin.

I let out a deep breath of air, "Wow. Kathy, you look…"

Kathy began to blush and smile nervously which only made my heart start beating faster. I tried to think of a word to describe her but nothing came to mind. She was more than beautiful or gorgeous or anything along those lines. She was radiant.

Before I could get another word out, Kathy was already walking up towards me. She rolled her eyes at me, "Your tie is crooked, Ryan." Straightening it quickly, she patted my chest in an approving way, "You clean up pretty well yourself, big boy," she teased.

It was only an hour drive to Mineral Town, and by the time we showed up, I was panicking. There was no way that anyone was going to buy that I was dating Kathy. She was out of my league to begin with in her normal day clothes, let alone when she's dressed like this and looking like one of the goddesses. I almost brought up that fact once in the car, but at that moment Kathy started singing along to the radio.

Of course she could sing too. Was there anything that this girl couldn't do? And do perfectly?

I parked the rented car on the grass outside of town where everyone else was and quickly jogged to the other side of the vehicle to open Kathy's door for her. She gave me a look to which I just shrugged; I was being a gentleman.

"The church is this way," she said, pointing to the direction where the small crowd was heading. Without skipping a beat, her hand found its way into mine. My stomach dropped, but I kept walking along side of her. I was too afraid to even look down and make eye contact with Kathy in fear that I would internally combust with happiness. I also tried to ignore the fact that I was certain her hand was just the right size to perfectly fit with mine. That would be just too cheesy.

Kathy didn't seem to notice. In fact, it seemed like she wasn't even fazed by the fact that we were holding hands. Then I remembered our conversation last night and how I was just a friend.

Right. Yeah. Of course. That's cool.

"So who is Karen getting married to?" I asked, not wanting to be the only person not in the loop.

Kathy shrugged, "I don't know him personally. The wedding invitation said his name was Jack. I think he moved to Mineral Town a year or so ago to become a farmer."

"And here I am. Been at the island for months and I can't even get a date!" I said causing Kathy to laugh. We ended up being lead to the church by the group we were following. Kathy began to squeal as soon as we walked in and dragged me to a pew to sit beside another girl who was squealing.

"Oh my goddess! Kathy! You're here!" The girl who looked strikingly similar to Elli back on the island cried.

The two girls hugged, and I sat there awkwardly, while Kathy was saying, "Of course! I couldn't miss Karen getting hitched! She's the first!"

Then the-Elli-look-alike gave Kathy a sly smile and said, "But certainly not the last," before she dramatically swept her bangs away with her hand and a ray of light made the ring on her finger gleam.

Cue more squealing.

"Trent proposed?!"

"Finally! I mean we've been dating for years, but nothing! I've been hinting for ages, but as soon as Jack puts a ring on Karen's finger, he gets it!"

And then some more squealing.

I just sat there awkwardly, trying to smile along even though neither was paying attention to me. That's when Kathy spoke up and said, "Well, you never know, I may be joining the wedding party soon too!" That's when she elbowed me in the gut, and the-Elli-look-alike finally realized I was there.

I laughed along goodheartedly, trying to ignore the pain in my stomach, as I replied, "Whoa. Calm down there, killer. We've only been together for three months."

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you over there!" The girl said, leaning over Kathy to offer me her hand, "I'm Elli. I've known Karen and Kathy since we were little."

My face must have given away what I was thinking because Kathy quickly explained, "Yes. Elli and Elli are related. The name runs in the family."

"Right…But I'm Ryan. Nice to meet you, Elli."

She smiled and was about to talk when the wedding progression began to play. The talking in the room stopped, and everyone turned their heads to see the bridesmaids and groomsmen come walking in. Kathy and Elli took turns squealing – quietly this time – whenever a new couple would walk in.

Karen whispered over to Elli, "Wait, why aren't you up there? I just saw your doctor walk in with Popuri…"

"I was the planner of the wedding. She asked me to do both, but that would be too much work. Shhh, here she comes!"

The music then turned to the wedding march, and everyone in the church got up to stand. Kathy leaned up against my back, trying to get a better look. So of course I stood as still as possible to make sure she wouldn't move away. She gasped when Karen walked into the room.

I had to admit: Karen looked incredible. I didn't even know her, but she had everyone in the room holding their breath by how beautiful she looked. She shyly smiled up the aisle to wear the groom, Jack, was waiting with the biggest grin on his face. I was a little confused on why he was wearing his blue baseball cap backwards on his head with a white tuxedo, but I figured it was some super romantic gesture.

Everyone took a seat, and the priest began the ceremony. He spoke about love at first sight and soul mates. There were some tears from the bride and groom and a handful of people in the pews. I figured a few of them were Karen's family, but I was surprised when I saw a tear or two in Kathy's eyes.

Without hesitation, I threw my left arm around her shoulders and brought her body closer to mine. She settled in, looking up and giving me a thankful smile. I didn't do it to be romantic, or even to hit on her. I simply did it to support her in some way.

"Jack, if you want to start the vows," Carter said.

Jack nodded, taking Karen's hands into his. Clearing his throat, he began, "Karen, the moment I met you, I knew that grass seeds were never going to be the same for me. I knew you were the one for me the second I looked into your eyes, and I can't wait to keep on looking into those eyes for the rest of my life. I promise to be the best husband I can be for you. I promise to always bring you Moon Drop flowers instead of Pink Cats – Sorry, Sasha," he said, winking at the woman who I assumed was Karen's mother. He continues, "I promise to always do the cooking, but that's mostly for my benefit. And most importantly, I promise to always be there for you. To pick you up from the bar when you've had a little too much. To always protect you from Won's 'Golden Service Time'. And, lastly, I promise to always love you."

The crowd aww'ed, and Karen wiped away her teary eyes before she began her vows, "You stole my intro about those grass seeds, you jerk. To tell the truth, I didn't know I had fallen in love with you right away. Looking back, I totally did, but I was oblivious until that night that you helped me carry back all those bottles of wine. That night we got absolutely hammered, and you told me how you felt. That was one of the best days of my life, apart from the day we met, and today. Then tonight too, but I'm not supposed to mention that part," she said with a sly smile on her lips.

Everyone laughed, and her father looked highly uncomfortable. Kathy leaned her head on my shoulder at this point, and once again, I was trying my hardest not to move and scare her away.

Karen continued, "In all seriousness, Jack, you're it for me. I have never felt this way about anyone else before, and I can tell by the way you look at me that you haven't either. I can't tell you how excited I am to spend the rest of my life with you. It leaves me breathless. Oh, goddesses, Carter! Can't I just kiss him now?"

This had everyone chuckling again, and I couldn't help but glance down at Kathy to see her smiling in delight up at her friend. Her smile did things to my heart that I could never understand

"Always the traditional couple, folks," Carter said, a slight nagging tone on his voice. He continued, "But yes. Jack, you may now kiss your – very impatient – bride."

Jack didn't even get to blink before Karen grabbed him by the tie and pulled his lips onto hers. The crowd went nuts, and we all stood up to applaud the new married couple. They turned and wave before walking back down the aisle and out the door, following quickly by the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Elli and Kathy hugged each other, both talking over one another about how happy they were for their friend. Taking my cue from some other male members of the audience who were smooching their beloveds in the bask of all the romanticness, I took a deep breath and draped my arm around Kathy's waist and planted a quick kiss on the top of her head.

While Elli obviously thought nothing of it, Kathy froze in her tracks for a moment before looking up at me. My heart stopped. Did I do something wrong? Was that too far out of line? Was I not supposed to actually do anything nearing that level of dating? I continued to panic in silence until Kathy just smiled sweetly up at me and gave me a wink.

I let out a breath. I was good. I was safe.

I had just kissed Kathy. Sorta. It was good enough for me.

* * *

><p>Eventually everyone cleared out from the church and made their way towards The Mineral Town Inn. Kathy locked her arm with mine the entire way, but she was so busy catching up with Elli to notice that I was still glowing from the super quick head kiss.<p>

Not to sound creepy, but I probably will because I always do, but her hair smelled fantastic.

Once we got into the Inn, Elli explained, "I put you guys at my table. Since off our friends are at the wedding party table, we're stuck with my grandma, Stu, Zach, and Won."

While these names meant nothing to me, Kathy nodded – only making a face when "Won" was mentioned. She groaned quietly before mummering over to me, "He's the sleazy seller of Mineral Town. Hits on all the pretty girls."

"Only pretty girls? Don't worry. You're safe then," I muttered back, smiling widely before she smacked me with her purse.

"Be nice, you."

The Inn was decorated nicely; lights were strung up from the upstairs balcony and on all the pillars that supported the building. Tables with white tablecloths were formed around a big circle, which I assumed to be the dance floor. Each table had a white flower centerpiece along with little cards that said each guest's name. We found the table with our names on it and sat down, Kathy scooting her chair closer to mine.

The wedding party was announced and took their seats, and the servers quickly came out and took orders. I let out a low whistle and spoke to Kathy, "This is quite the shindig, huh? Even compared to some of the city weddings I've been to, this is still pretty grand."

Kathy nodded in agreement and replied, "That's Karen for you. Love her to death but she always has to do things in the biggest way possible. My wedding, fingers crossed, is going to be much smaller than this. Just townsfolk and maybe a few outside family members if my groom, fingers crossed, have any."

"I'm sure Owen would love to marry you, Kat," I said, taking a sip of water while giving her a look from the corner of my eye. She just roller her eyes and groaned, muttering words that are not suitable from children under her breath.

Throughout dinner, which was amazing, many different people came up to our table and greeted Kathy. Each time, I just sat and smiled until I got introduced as the "boyfriend", 'boytoy", "boo-thang", and, Kathy's personal favorite, "her honey-bear-boo-boo-kins". No one seemed surprised that a guy like me was dating a girl like Kathy, which made me start to feel pretty good about myself.

I even got a few, "Kathy! He's a looker!" from some of the middle-aged women.

Kathy took my hand in hers again as we all watched Karen and Jack's first dance together as husband and wife. It was a pretty cheesy song, some country boy singing about wanting to make a girl feel wanted, but it was still nice. It was hard to concentrate, though, with Kathy's thumb rubbing back and forth on my hand. I tried my hardest to will my palms not to get sweaty.

A few more songs played through while we finished eating, and more and more people started to make their way onto the dance floor. The classic hit, "Cupid Shuffle", came on and simultaneously Elli, Kathy, and every other 20 year-old something girl screamed. All making their way to the dance floor, I got a quick wink and peck on the cheek before Kathy broke away and joined everyone.

Reminding myself to breath, I looked around to make sure that no one else noticed myself getting red from that simple, little peck. Ellen, Elli's grandmother, was just smiling at me fondly, as if she were remembering something from a long time ago. She said quietly, "She's quite the girl, that one."

I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck nervously, "She sure is."

She didn't stop there, "The way you look at her reminds me of the way my husband used to look at me…It was like I was the only thing he could ever hope to look at again…Too sweet, my boy, too sweet."

My heart lurched. Was it really so obvious how I felt about Kathy? Could everyone see it? If they could, how didn't Kathy know? Or did she know? If she did, why hasn't she called me out on it?

"Stop your worrying. Things will all work out. Just enjoy moments like these," Ellen said cryptically. I was about to ask what she meant by that, but she just pointed back to the dance floor. Following her finger, I found Kathy in the middle of a huge group of girls, laughing in delight as she followed the dance steps. My heart lurched again, but this time it was because of that damn smile of hers.

* * *

><p>"C'mon, Ry. You had your vodka or rum or whiskey or whatever man drink it was. It's time to danceeeeeee," Kathy said, pulling on my arm and looking longingly at the dance floor.<p>

"I never knew you were such a dance lover," I laughed, taking the last sip of my drink. The condition was that I would give her one dance for every drink I was allowed. She agreed willingly, but I knew that as soon as I got up to the dance floor, she wasn't going to let me leave that easily.

She dragged me out of my chair and onto the floor as she explained, "Well it's no fun dancing alone in my room, so when I actually get the chance to, I go all out!"

At this point, I had already met the newlyweds, so when we finally joined them on the dance floor, Karen squealed loudly. To Karen, I was Kathy's "hottie with a body" boyfriend. She grabbed Kathy by the arms, and they were twisting back and forth around with each other while Jack and I awkwardly bounced back and forth.

This continued for a few songs; Kathy would get dragged away by a girlfriend, but every time I went to go sit back down, I got the look of death, which caused me to continue dancing in her near vicinity. I was never a great sober dancer. Sure, when I got a few in me I could shimmy with the best of them, but I had a feeling getting drunk around Kathy would not be my best idea. I wouldn't want to accidentally say something that sober me knows I shouldn't.

Finally Kathy broke herself away from her redheaded friend (Ann? I think? Spunky little thing.) and made her way back towards me. I asked if we were done dancing, but she just replied, "Not even close," with a flirty look in her eyes. Just like every time she gives me that infamous look of hers, my mouth went dry in a second-flat. This girl always had me on my toes.

And then, of course, the perfect song for Kathy to tease me with starts to play. Cue cheering from the crowd and the flirty look in Kathy's eyes to only grow flirtier under her eyelashes.

Sir-Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back.

Just from my past experience with girls, I know that they love this song for one reason. They can dance however the heck they want and get away with it. I had to come up with a game plan.

I had it. I would just keep up with my awkwardly shuffling and keep my eyes locked on hers. No wandering eyes. No wandering hands. Perfect. Yes. This would be easy. I so had this. I was the man.

Unfortunately, while I was the man, Kathy turned out to be The Woman. While singingly along perfectly with the lyrics she still managed to dance along with it too. I just smiled nervously, shuffling awkwardly, pretending that my heart wasn't pounding out of my chest.

Every body part of Kathy's was born to dance. It was so graceful, and smooth, and, kill me now, sexy. She was just my friend; I kept reminding myself over and over mentally. I had to keep those thoughts buried deep, deep, deeeeep down.

So, of course again, that's when she takes a step closer to me and wraps her arms around my shoulders. She leans in and says to me quietly in my ear, "Ryan, I respect that you're trying to be a gentleman right now, but…you're supposed to be my boyfriend at this moment in time. Look around you. See how the other couples are dancing? How most of them are touching in some way?"

I nodded – more of a quick jerking of my head once.

She let of a breathy laugh – Dammit Kathy, don't do that so close to my ear! – and said, "Then come on. Pretend you like me at least a little bit, boyfriend."

With that Kathy screwed me over completely and left a little kiss on the ear she was just talking into. My eyes went wide as a shiver ran down my spine. I cursed silently to the goddesses. Why me? Why now? How could she do things like that and act like she thought nothing of it?

Oh, and it gets better. Don't worry. I'm guessing you all have heard the part of the song where he goes, "My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun!", right? Well imagine those beats to these evil, evil dance moves.

"My anaconda don't…": chest-to-chest shoulder roll

"want none…": turn around so her back is on my chest"

"unless you got…": hands behind her back and on my waist

"buns, hun.": bending her knees and lowering herself…downwards and then coming back up

My eyes got even wider, and I tasted blood because I was biting my tongue so hard. She just came back up and began laughing at me while she took my arms and moved them around for me. No one else seemed to notice her provocative dance moves except for me. That or they were too wrapped up in their own provocative dances moves to care.

The song ended – finally – and Kathy hugged me, laughing loudly to herself, "Ry…Ryan, oh my goddess. You should have…Oh, I wish you could have seen your face," she managed to get out.

Still slightly in shock, and unsure if I could speak, I just stuck my tongue out at her. She eventually contained her laughter, but by that time the next song had already begun. It was a slow song.

Good. This means she couldn't be unbelievably sexy and tease me this time.

Looking down at her, I made a big production of jumping back a step, bowing, and offering her my hand. This earned me a classic Kathy eye roll, but she played along and curtsied back at me before placing her hand in mine. A bit hesitantly, I placed my other hand on her waist as she positioned hers on my shoulder.

Doing the basic square waltz moves I was taught back in high school, I finally began to calm down. This wasn't nearly as scary as the last song that been. We stayed quiet for a few seconds until I heard Kathy humming along to the lyrics.

"You know this song?" I asked, not recognizing it myself.

She nodded, "Mhmm. Kiss Me Slowly."

I almost had a heart attack at that…until I realized she was telling me the title of the song. Right…

"I'm glad you came with me today, Ryan," she said sincerely. Usually at a comment like that I would make fun of her, but between the slow dancing and the song, I felt a little sweeter than usual.

I replied, "I'm glad I came with you, too. It's been fun. Even all the shopping. I just wish I got the pimp suit…"

"You're a goof."

"Says the goof."

Laughing quietly, Kathy bit her lip slightly as she looked back up at me. Our movements got slower and slower as we looked at one another, her lip still in between her teeth. Usually I would take all of this as a cue to kiss a girl, but I knew that wouldn't end well.

Besides, that's when Kathy dropped my hand from hers. We continued dancing, just with her arms around my shoulders and mine on either side of her waist. It was one of those moments again where nothing had to be said. We were comfortable enough with the silence because we knew we had someone to share it with.

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><p><strong>Thanks for sticking with me here, guys! I hope to have the next chapter up pretty soon - I'm thinking in just a day or two because I have a long weekend. <strong>

**In the mean time, please feel free to leave a review! I love hearing what you all have to say! Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's so funny. I had a reviewer leave a comment on the last chapter giving me a suggestion about the story, right? And funnily enough, I was already going to be using that suggestion in this chapter before I even read what they had to say! Props to them for being psychic! **

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><p>Overall, the wedding was a success. After Karen and Jack left for their honeymoon for someplace called The Sunshine Islands, everyone else said their good-byes.<p>

"Promise that you'll call more! And that you'll let me plan the wedding," Elli was saying to Kathy, giving me a sly side-glance. I just grinned back at her, shrugging my shoulders non-committedly.

Kathy and her hugged good-bye, and I even got a hug too which was nice considering I had only met her a few hours prior. Of course, girls always have hidden agendas with their hugs, and Elli's was to tell me, "You take good care of her or else my doctor fiancé can make it seem like your murder was an accident."

I straightened my back right away at that and gave her a curt nod. I'm sure the look on my face was terrified because Kathy gave me an odd look before she took my hand and led me up the Inn's stairs.

"What was that all about?" She quietly asked as I was putting the key in the door.

I shrugged, "Fake boyfriend business."

"Ahh, the usual then for you," Kathy teased, entering the room first. She yawned, "I'm actually super tired. I can't wait until I can just climb into bed and…" She paused dead in her tracks, looking at the room.

Wondering what she was looking at, I craned my neck over her head to survey the room. It wasn't messy or anything…What was the big deal? It wasn't like some hoodlums had come in and crashed the place. It was nice looking room. The window had a good view of the town's plaza; there was a TV beside a mini fridge. The bed had some mints on it. What was the-

Wait. There was only one bed.

"I called before! I asked for two beds; I swear!" Kathy explained, talking fast and pacing the room.

Now while I would have no complaints about sleeping in the same bed as Kathy, I knew that it would be awkward. I just grabbed her by her pacing shoulders and said, "Kat, calm down. It's cool. Just go talk to Doug about changing rooms."

Looking at me with wide eyes, she nodded quickly, "Yes. Right. Doug. Talk to him. Got it. Be right back. Yep. Um. Bye."

I laughed quietly to myself as she all but ran out the door. She was too cute when she was nervous. I popped the mint from the bed in my mouth while I waited for her to return, but it didn't take all that long. She came back, face red, pacing even more than before.

"That damn Ann…Always meddling in people's business…Thinks it's okay to…Goddess Dammit…" she was muttering under her breath.

"Kathy…Talk to me, kid," I said warily.

Throwing her hands up in the air, Kathy explained, "Ann had us in a room with two beds, but then she got the _brilliant_ idea to change our rooms! Why? Because she thinks we should be sleeping in the same bed. Because we're _sooooo in love._ I tried telling her that we weren't there yet or something, but she wasn't having any of that. She had some excuse that all the other rooms were filled now, and that this room was the only thing she could give us. Damn Ann. Come on. Pack your bags. We're leaving."

I gave her a look, "Wait, what?"

"We can't stay here!"

"Sure we can. You sleep on the bed. Just give me a pillow and a blanket and I'll be more than fine on the floor," I explained.

Kathy gave me a disapproving look, but I waved it off, "Seriously. It's fine."

After a few minutes of convincing, the plan was exactly what I said it was going to be. We took turns showering and getting ready for bed, but by the time we finished, Kathy had a new complaint.

"I'm not tired yet. Wanna watch a movie?" I shrugged as I was brushing my teeth, and she took that as agreement, "Awesome! Hurry up and I'll put something on."

I came back to see some super girly looking movie waiting on the screen. I shot Kathy a look of death, but she just gave me her most innocent looking smile. She patted the spot next to her on the bed, and I sat down. I guess I was allowed on the bed for the movie. Settling in under the covers, Kathy pushed play and the movie began.

Ten minutes into it, there was a wedding scene. Sort of zoning out from the movie, I was surprise when I heard sniffling coming from beside me. I looked over to see that Kathy's eyes were red, and her cheeks a little wet.

"What's wrong? Is the movie that sad already?"

"…"

"Kathy…"

"I'm never getting married. I just realized it now. There is no one who would want to marry me back home. All my friends are going to get married and be happy and have cute little babies, and I'm going to be an old barmaid until I die," she said, trying to play it off, but I knew it was actually upsetting her.

Why couldn't she see that there was someone who would love to at least date her right in front of her?! Or at least right beside her. I hate the term Friend-Zone, but I was so far into it, I couldn't even get out now if I wanted to. Which I did. But I also knew I shouldn't.

"I'll tell you what, kid. Looking at my pickings back at Waffle Island, I say that my chances for love are just about as slim as yours. That being said, I propose to you: a deal," I said, reaching for the remote and turning it down a little.

Wiping at her eyes, Kathy asked, "Hmm?"

Suddenly nervous, I chose my words carefully, "If neither one of us are married or dating anyone by the time we're say…70, I will marry you myself."

"70!? I'm going to be an old hag by then! Make it 40," Kathy replied.

"No way. I'll still be in my prime at 40. I could still have a shot! 60!"

"Still too old haggy for me...How about 50? You'll be a graying silver fox, and I still might have some of my schoolgirl charm about me," She haggled.

I offered her my hand, "Alright. We have a deal. If neither of us are married by the age of 50, we will get hitched."

We shook on it and went back to watching the movie.

About an hour or so later, I glanced down at Kathy only to see that she had fallen asleep. Not even asleep. This girl was passed out. I waved my hand in front of her, snapped my fingers a few times, but to no prevail. Kathy was gone-zo.

I reached over the Kathy for the remote, which she had stolen from me halfway through the movie, only to have her arms sleepily grab at my shirt and pull me closer. I held my breath, but that was it. She didn't wake up. After shutting off the TV, I realized that Kathy was all but cuddling me with her head against my upper stomach.

You know…I could easily just slide down beside her, move her head to my chest, and fall asleep right then and there. It would play out so well too! I could just say tomorrow that I guess both of us fell asleep watching the movie. It was innocent enough, right?

The nagging pit in my stomach told me it was a bad idea. No matter how much my heart wanted to, my stomach was winning this particular battle. I slowly lifted Kathy's arm off of my chest and placed it back on the bed. As quietly as I could, I managed to get out of the bed without waking her up.

Score.

Pulling a blanket and extra pillow from the room's closet, I laid onto the ground. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as the bed, or having Kathy right there, but I fell asleep quickly enough.

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><p>Well the vacation was officially almost over. After some quick goodbyes to some fellow stayers at the Inn in the morning, Kathy and I drove back to the boat's dock. On the boat now, I was beginning to tell Kathy about the dream I had the night earlier.<p>

"So I'm at the church back on the island, right? And I'm looking as sexy as ever in that suit that we bought for Karen's wedding, of course. So I'm there, and Luke's sitting beside me with Candace, but you were nowhere to be found. Then all of a sudden, the wedding march song starts playing, and low and behold, you come walking down the aisle! Decked out in a wedding dress and all!"

This is where Kathy interrupted, "How did I look? B-e-a-u-tiful?"

Not giving her the satisfaction of the true answer, which was breathtakingly beautiful, I nearly just shrugged and replied, "I mean, I've seen better. Anyways, so Hayden is walking you down, and you look super thrilled about it all, and you wave at us and everything, and then you get greeted by you husband."

"Which is?" Kathy asked, hanging onto my every word.

"Owen," I said with a smirk.

Kathy groaned loudly, throwing her hands into the air. I just laughed; secretly thrilled that was still her reaction to the tank-topped muscleman.

After pouting and yelling at me for having such a dream, Kathy went on to say, "Seriously though, it's so weird that you dreamed about that because I had a dream scarily similar. Only I was marrying you!"

My ears perked up at this, "Really?"

I cursed at myself for sounding so happy.

"Mhmm. It was weird. Luke was your best man, and he kept winking at me and mouthing the words, 'Get it'."

Eager to learn more about this dream, and what it could possibly mean about Kathy's feelings towards me, I took a slight step closer to her. She didn't seem to notice and just kept explaining, "We weren't even 50 like we agreed upon. You looked exactly the same, and so did I!"

Kathy was dreaming about marrying me! That had to be a good sign, right? Maybe after realizing how good of a fake boyfriend I was, she came to the conclusion that I would make an even greater REAL boyfriend! I couldn't help it; I burst into a huge grin.

And then Kathy ruined all my hopes and dreams by saying, "I guess all this wedding talk is really going to my head. Our little deal is playing trick on me is all."

My smile quickly faded. I turned away from her and leaned forward on the boat's railing, looking at, but not really seeing, the sea, "Right. Must be it."

"You okay?" Kathy asked.

I straightened and gave her a brief smile, "Course. I'm gonna go grab our bags," I said and turned away, leaving her looking at me with a confused look on her face.

This girl really was blind.

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><p>After dropping Kathy and her bags off at the bar, I headed over to Brownie Ranch to check in with Renee. I passed my own ranch on the way, and everything seemed in order, but I just wanted to double check how things went. I walked up, only to see Toby leaving, his hair a mess and grinning widely.<p>

Oh boy…

Surprisingly enough, I didn't get that jealous feeling I used to get when I saw them together. That being said, the jealous feeling was never very strong, but it was still there. And now it wasn't. That was a pretty good feeling; if I'm telling you guys the truth here.

Renee must have seen me walking up because she met me outside the door. She was also trying to contain a huge smile, but she was failing miserably.

"What's up, smiley?" I asked, also noticing her cheeks were a little redder than usual as well. I immediately regretted asking that question; if it was what it looked like, I didn't want to know. Regardless of whether the jealously was gone or not.

The question only caused Renee to blush even more, but she didn't look embarrassed. She looked thrilled.

Huh. Maybe Toby was just that good.

"Oh, it's nothing…I mean, it isn't nothing...But I don't know if…Well if you would want to be the first to hear it or not," Renee said, looking a little bashful now.

I scoffed, "C'mon. You gotta tell me now. I'm curious!"

Looking down at her feet and then around as if to see if anyone else was within earshot, "Well…Okay. Toby just asked me to marry him!" she said, as if she was barely able to keep the words in.

"Really? Congrats!" I said, automatically going in to hug her in the air. She started laughing ecstatically, hugging me tightly back. I set her back down and grabbed her left hand, admiring the new ring that sat on her finger. I let out a low-whistle.

"He did good, didn't he?" She asked, smiling lovingly at the ring.

I looked up at her from the ring and replied meaningfully, "Yeah. He did. And not just on the ring."

Renee blushed, "Thank you, Ryan. For everything. You handled it all so well, and I really think I have you to thank for this – in a weird, probably messed up way."

That caused my cheeks to warm up as well. I ran a hand through my hair, "Well you know me. Always willing to be a wingman – in a weird, probably messed up way. Seriously, Renee; I'm so happy for you."

She laughed, looking back at the ring again, "I'm happy for me, too."

There was a moment of silence before Renee snapped out of her trance, "Oh! But you must have came for a reason!"

We talked about how things went over the few days I was away, and Renee assured me it all went smoothly. Queen and Rori were happy as can be, but she could tell they missed me while I was gone. She even said that she went ahead and ordered for a bull to come in for Queen's pregnancy!

I thanked her for all her help and gave her a hug again, "Legit, congratulations. I'll let you go, so you can stare at that ring in peace," I said with a wink.

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><p>"Duuuude. So your ex-girl is getting married before you even found another girl to date? That's lame, bro," Luke said, patting me roughly on the back.<p>

We were sitting at our usual table at the Sundae Inn, grabbing dinner because we were both too lazy to make our own food at home. Kathy still had the day off, and she was currently nowhere to be found. I assumed that she went to go ride Sophie for a while around in the fields.

I shook my head as I looked over the menu, "Nah. I'm happy for her. I have no hard feelings."

Luke looked at me like I was crazy, but he didn't say anything about it further. He just dove into a ton of questions about the wedding, how it went, how was pretending to be Kathy's boyfriend, if I got to lay one on her. Now with his confirmation about my feelings regarding Kathy, Luke was stuck on making it all work out. He tried so many different times to set it up, but nothing was working.

The Friend-Zone is real, my friends.

Out of the blue, Maya shows up to our table, "Hiya, guys! What can I grab for you today?"

I blinked, "Uhh..Hi, Maya. Since when do you work dinner? I thought it was only breakfast and lunch!"

"Chase has the day off, so I'm covering his shift! But it's good to know you're keeping tabs on me," Maya replied with a flirty giggle.

I let out a nervous laugh, "You know me…Er…Can I just have the veggie sandwich, please?"

"Make that two! Oh, and can you add like extra, extra spinach on mine?" Luke asked, giving Maya his best puppy dog eyes.

Writing that down, Maya just hummed happily in response, "Yummy. Sounds great. It'll be out in a few, guys!"

The food came out shortly after, and Maya took her time heading back to the server station. She asked all about the trip and how my farm was doing and abut Luke's work. I guess she was bored; I mean the Inn was empty except for Luke and I. We entertained her for a few minutes before Yolanda yelled from the kitchen for her to "leave us poor boys alone!"

Maya grinned bashfully at us, "My bad! I'll see you guys later, though! Have a great day! Bye, Ryan," she said, leaving her hand on my shoulder for a brief second before she walked away.

Luke finished eating a few minutes later, and he quickly left because he wanted to swing by the tailors to visit with Candace while she was working. I took my time finishing my sandwich, not wanting to go back to my house and do nothing all night. I thought about going around to find Kathy and maybe seeing if I could ride Oli again with her, but the sky was getting darker with each passing minute, and I doubted my ability to ride a horse even semi-well when it was nighttime.

Leaving a few crumpled bills on the table for Maya's tip, I started to head outside. Opening the door, a gush of the crisp fall air hit me; reminding me I would have to invest in a winter jacket soon. I stuffed my hand in my pockets to protect them from the wind and began to head home.

I was only a few steps into my journey though when a voice yelled over at me, "Hey, asshole! Wait just a minute!"

And who else was approaching me other than the huge, ginger, hedgehog himself, Owen? I stood my ground even though every nerve in my body told me to beat it.

Trying to be nice, I simply asked, "What can I do for you, Owen?"

He scoffed loudly – more of a bark, really. He was only a few feet away from me now, standing tall with his muscular arms crossed against his chest. "How was your little trip?" he asked, with a sneer on his face.

Still with my hands in my pockets, I shrugged, "It was fine."

"You know she only pities you, right? Kathy?" Owen spat, taking a step closer to me. What was he going to do? Fight me right in front of the Inn? That would be a bonehead move – even on his part. I just raised my eyebrow at his question, waiting to see what else he had to say.

Taking the time to crack his neck both ways – extremely slowly – Owen explained, "She's only being your friend cause she feels sorry for you. Cause your only other friend on this island is that blue-haired idiot."

"Oh, shut up," I said, turning to leave.

He just continued, "She knows you're pathetically in love with her, but Kathy is too nice to say anything about it. It's sad really…when you think about how pathetic you are."

My face was getting hot – not because I was embarrassed but because I was getting mad. He could talk about me all he wanted, but the fact that he brought up Luke and now was talking about Kathy like he really knew her was too much. I laughed at him, "I'm pathetic? Dude. All she does is complain about how much you bother her with your constant attempts to get with her."

"Shut up," he barked, clenching his fists by his sides.

Seeing I was getting a reaction from him, I went on, "Every time you try and flirt with her, I hear about it. Hell, we laugh about it together. So hop off and get out of my face, okay?"

I turned to leave again, only to see Kathy walking up the road towards the Inn. She waved over at me, only to have her hand waiver in the air when she saw whom I was talking to. Owen wasn't done yet though, seemingly like he hadn't noticed Kathy yet, "You know she would have much rather gone to that wedding with me."

I didn't even turn around as I said over my shoulder, "Cause that explains she still picked me over you."

There was the sound of movement behind me as I made eye contact with Kathy again. Her look of confusion quickly changed to a look of concern as I felt Owen's fist make contact with the back of my head. The look of concern on Kathy's face soon disappeared in the blur of black.

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><p>"Ugh…" I said, unable to open my eyes because of the massive headache pounding in the back of my skull. All I saw were the backs of my eyelids, and all I could feel were the cold rushes of air from the wind. A warm hand suddenly placed itself on my arm.<p>

"Ryan! Oh my goddess…Are you okay?!" Kathy asked, her voice filled with panic. Without lifting her hand, Kathy moved so that she was sitting beside me – wherever I was.

Opening one eye, I looked up to be greeted by Kathy's bright green eyes hovering above me. My breath got caught in my throat at that, and this only caused her to panic more – thinking that something was wrong. I waved off her concern, slowly trying to sit up. She kept her hand on my arm as she helped me adjust myself.

"Kathy…Why are we outside?" I slowly asked, realizing that we were surrounded by the night sky. Looking around, I tried to make out where we were but to no luck. I had never been to this part of the town.

Kathy looked around too, seemingly a little embarrassed. Glancing down at her hands, she replied, "We're on the roof of the Inn. I had my dad carry you up here."

I went to go touch the back of my head where my skull was throbbing, only to wince in pain at the tenderness. Kathy jumped up, ran over to a little bucket a few feet away, and came back with an icepack. Taking the hand into hers, she moved it from the back of my head and held it in her lap, using her other hand to gently place the ice on the swollen bump.

"It's going to be sore for a few days," she explained, now sitting and facing me.

I kept quiet – not trusting myself to speak while my hands was in hers and her eyes were locked so intently with mine. It was hard enough reminding myself to breath, let alone form a complete and coherent sentence. Keeping still, I just kept looking at her until she finally broke our gaze and asked, "What happened?"

"Well I'm guessing Owen's fist hit my head, and then my head hit the ground pretty fast," I said, trying to make light of the situation. This got her to smile and roll her eyes at me, but I knew she was still looking for the real answer. "He was being all pissy that I went to the wedding with you, and that you didn't invite him."

She sighed, "He's an idiot. He and I are hardly friends."

Taking the icepack from her hand, I sat all the way up. I rolled my eyes, "Will you stop looking at me like I'm about to crumple to the ground? I can take a hit."

"Are you sure about that? Owen's a pretty big guy, and we all know it wouldn't kill you to hit the gym," Kathy teased, her smile growing bigger.

I feigned being hurt, "Not true. I got muscles like Hercules! I just don't go around flaunting it like someone we know!"

"I'm guessing Hercules is another one of your city slicker celebrities?"

I just laughed, shaking my head, "Sure, kid. Something like that."

We just sat there for a while; both of us looking around the roof. It was actually really nice. There was a hand-made wooden table with chairs in the corner with a vintage looking lamppost standing proudly beside it. Kathy and I were sitting on a old-looking patio chair, with a few more wooden pieces of furniture piled in the back corner.

"My mom made all the stuff," Kathy said suddenly, picking at some of the chipped paint on the chair. I sat quietly, unsure of how to proceed with that new information. It didn't matter because Kathy kept going. "This was sort of her place, ya know? She would come up and work on her projects all day into the night. I loved sitting up here with her, watching her work, spending time with her. At night we would lay down a blanket and look at the stars together – she would listen to me go on and on about everything that's important to a little girl at the time."

"After she died, though, I refused to come up here. I couldn't handle it for the longest time. Eventually I faced it and now…I don't know. I come up here when I'm lonely or have to think or something big has happened," she explained, continuing to pick at the chipped paint.

I grabbed at her hand and smiled softly at her, "Well I'm glad I could be up here to see it." She smiled back with a sad smile of her own.

Even with the pounding in the back of my head, I still managed to get an idea. Getting up off the chair – a little wobbly – I headed over to the pile of items and looked around. Grabbing the only blanket I saw, I headed back to where Kathy was. Fanning the blanket out and setting it on the ground, I began to reassemble what I hoped her mother used to do with her. Kathy just watched me until I sat down and patted the spot next to me – indicating for her to join me.

We sat for a few minutes until Kathy was the first to lay down – with me following her lead shortly after.

"I like it up here," I said, staring up at the black night sky. There were a few stars out, but I didn't recognize any certain constellations. Kathy's arm was touching mine just enough as we laid down to make me forget about the cold air that surrounds us – I was warm with her next to me.

"You're the first person I ever brought up here," Kathy replied, keeping her eyes locked on the stars.

This surprised me. You would think a girl would bring her ex-fiancé up here at some point? I just "Hmm'd" in response, unsure of what I was supposed to say.

Kathy then turned her head to face me, and I did the same. She didn't smile, just looked intently into my eyes. My heart quickly sped up like it always did. "Thank you," she said simply.

"Uh...anytime. Anything in particular you're thanking me for though?" I asked.

"For always being there for me... With the wedding and then Owen and now this. You're always there, without a doubt," she said softly, more serious than I have almost ever seen Kathy.

I gulped. I could easily say something and turn this into a feelings talk. I could just tell her now, "It's because I've got a helpless crush on you" and see where that takes me. But no. It would ruin my friendship. Everything that Kathy and I had as friends would be gone as soon as the words left my mouth. I couldn't do that to her, especially after she just said how I was always there for her.

Instead of risking it all and telling her, I stayed quiet. I just kept looking at her green eyes, hoping that she wouldn't be able to tell how I feel by looking back into my blue ones.

Finally, I found the right words. "I'm always going to be here for you, Kat. I wanna be there for you when you're down about your life, or your mom, or, hell, even the K-word. I wanna be the person you always know you can tell everything and anything to."

Kathy's eyes left mine for a brief second as she looked down my face, but I found her looking back at mine again soon after. She bit her lip and smiled shyly, "You're ama – " she paused for a second, "an amazing friend."

As she looked away and back at the sky, I found myself staring at the silhouette of her face for a while longer. Every string in my heart was being tugged at as I watched her watch the sky, smiling up at who I guessed to be her mother.

And I knew her mother was smiling back.

Who wouldn't with a daughter like hers?

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><p><strong>Keep an eye out for the next chapter here in a week or two! Leave me a comment in the mean time though! :)<strong>

**Thanks for reading! **


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